I 



REVISED EDITIOIT, 1 8 6 S. 



HISTORY 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, 



DESIGNED FOE SCHOOLS. 



EXTENDING FROM THE DISCOVERY OP AMERICA BY COLUMBUS TO THE 
CLOSE OF THE REBELLION ; WITH NUMEROUS MAPS AND EN- 
GRAVINGS, TOGETHER WITH A NOTICE OF AMERICAN 
ANTIQUITIES, AND THE INDIAN TRIBES. 



BY 

EGBERT GUERNSEY, A.M. 



" Our history takes as its guiding star the simple and pregnant truth that GOD IS IN 

HISTORY." " , 



PHILADELPHIA: 

MO$S & CO., 418 MARKET STREET, 

CINCINNATI: APPLEGATE & CO. 
1867. 



Or 



Entered according to the act of Coruxess, in the year 1847, 
BY EGBERT GUERNSEY, A.M., 
In the Clerk's office of the District Court of the United States for .ae 
Southern District of New York. 



Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1S66, by 
MOSS AND COMPANY, 
In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States for the Eastern 
District of Pennsylvania. 






PREFACE 



To commune with the great and mighty dead — to turn our thougnts 
backward along the path of time, and call from their silent graven 
the buried heroes of the past, and people with their living forms those 
old battle fields where freemen, under the protection of the God of Hea- 
ven, fought, not for a crown, but for liberty — is an employment both 
pleasing and instructive. 

All history is instructive, but that of our own country is peculiarly 
interesting. The actors in its earliest periods, and in its revolution- 
ary struggle, were meo of patriotism, virtue, and religion. Rising 
above the selfish feelings of human nature, they planned and acted, not 
for themselves alone, but for their country, and the unborn millions 
who were yet to tread its soil. Believing in the overruling provi- 
dence of God, they were not ashamed to look to Him for direction, nor 
to lean on his arm for support. Convinced that no people could flou- 
rish without a proper training of the mind, they early turned their at- 
tention to schools and colleges, believing them to be the nurseries ot 
freedom. 

The study of American history not only unites us more closely, and 
with stronger love to our free institutions, but it ennobles the mind by 
tne lessons of virtue and patriotism which are given in the teachings 
and examples of our fathers. The whole course of the American Revo- 
lution shows but one traitor. The infamy which is forever attached 
to the name of Arnold, is a sufficient warning to youth not to follow 
in his footsteps. 

There are a few points, which I think have been neglected, or too 
lightly passed over, in all the histories of our country with which 1 am 
acquainted. One of these is, a particular notice of the direct interpo- 
sition of Providence, so often displayed in oar history. 

This fault I have endeavored to shun. While it has been my object 



V} 



PREFACE. 



to present a correct historical chain of events, in a style pleasing to tne 
young, I have also endeavored to impress on them the important fact, 
that their fathers were working out the great designs of God, and were 
aided by him in their glorious consummation. 

As undoubted remains of a civilized people, inhabiting America be- 
fore the Indians, are scattered over the country, I have thought proper 
to devote an introductor)'' chapter describing their appearance, locality, 
and the various opinions respecting them. 

In another chapter is given an epitome of the different Indian fami- 
lies, with a notice of their languages, manners, and customs. 

As this history has been compiled for educational purposes, I have 
endeavored to make the plan striking and simple, and to adapt my style 
to the minds and feelings of intelligent youth. 

In selecting my plan, three great epochs presented themselves as pro- 
per to be noticed particularly. The first presenting a picture of our 
country from its discovery by Columbus, during its colonial history. 
A clear outline is here given ; but much matter of a dry and prolix 
character, usually introduced in school histories with little effect, has 
been omitted. A dislike to an entire book has sometimes been produced, 
by crowding into this epoch a collection of isolated facts, which the 
young mind has struggled in vain to connect. If we succeed in enlist- 
ing their feelings in the commencement, the grand events which follow 
will surelv enchain them, and our point is gained. 

The second epoch presents the story of the Revolutionary War. ft .m 
the Declaration of Independence, until the adoption of the Federal Con- 
stitution. I have endeavored faithfully to describe the most important 
of those thrilling events which cluster around this period. 

It is strange, that while in many school histories the colonial period 
is tediously minute, the long struggle of a whole people for liberty, with 
a mighty nation, is briefly recorded. 

In the third and last epoch, each administration is separately noticed, 
from the commencement of the Federal Government until the year 1866. 
A. concise biographical sketch of each President is given, that oui 
American youths may know, who were their rulers, and associate kind 
and noble thoughts of them, with the story of their public acts while in 
office. This has never been introduced in any of our school books, and, 
as a body, our children are strangely ignorant of the character of those 
§?eat men. 

This is evidently a defect which should be remedied; for American 
children, above others, should early be taught, ,n connection with the 
principles of a republican government, the fact, that most of these ven- 
erable and beloved men, were once children in humble life, and that they 



PREFACE. 



Vll 



under Providence, by their own exertions and their virtues, arose to the 
highest station in the gift of their country. 

The eyes of the civilized world are on America. They are nar- 
rowly watching all her operations, and scanning her motives of action. 
From this land of freemen an influence pervades the globe. Much is 
expected from the American youth, and a deep responsibility rests on 
their guardians and instructors. 

Next to the Bible, no book is better adapted to teach lessons of impor- 
tance, both to the heart and intellect, than a faithful history of God's 
dealings with our countrymen. A strange indifference to the study 
of American history is manifested throughout our land; and it is 
time that a better state of things existed. It is surprising how many 
schools of high standing entirely exclude it from their classes. Histo- 
ries of classic Greece and Rome are mastered, those of England and 
France are not forgotten, but American history is regarded as a simple 
elementary subject, unworthy the study of an advanced scholar. This 
is a fact beyond dispute. 

In relating the history of the Americans, our ancestors, I do not wish 
to throw into the shade the merits of any other nation. I would have 
all history faithfully studied and remembered. It is worthy the time 
and talent of every immortal mind. History is a harp whose strings 
are swept by the hand of Time. It tells us of the birth of creation — the 
uprising of empires — the passing away of mighty nations — it sounds in 
our ears the events which lie scattered along the path of life. Its notes 
tremble mournfully over the graves of greatness and virtue entombed. 
Its tones are ever varying, and will be heard until Time severs the 
strings, as they are sounding the requiem of the world, and historv is 
no more ! 



NOTE TO TEACHERS. 

The questions on the margin are only intended as leading ones, lo 
answer which, however, a knowledge of the whole subject is necessary. 
These questions can be altered and others suggested, at the pleasure of 
the teacher. Great pains have been taken to make the Chronology as 
correct as possible. To avoid confusion, all the dates have been given 
in ISew Style. This History is not only intended for a recitation book, 
but to be used in reading classes. The events forming a connected chain, 
a habit of attention will be elicited, and much historical knowledge 
gained. A plan similar to this, I have pursued in a long course of 
teaching, with decided advantage. 



CONTENTS. 



Pwe- 
American Antiquities 13—45 

Indian History 45 — 68 

division of the Work 70 



PART I. 
CHAPTER I. 

EARLY DISCOVERIES. 

CJolumbus — Sebastian Cabot — Alonzo de Ojeda — Contereal — 
Cartier — Ponce de Leon — Ferdinand de Soto — Coligni — 
Gilbert — Sir Walter Raleigh — Bartholomew Gosnold— Capt. 
John Smith — London Company 70 — 84 

CHAPTER II. 

COLONIAL HISTORY 

Virginia — Under the first charter — Under the second charter 
— Under the third charter — From the dissolution of the Lon- 



don Company until the French and Indian War 84 — 99 

CHAPTER III. 

Massachusetts. — Massachusetts Bay Colony — King Philip's 
War — King George's and Gtueen Anne's Wars . .... 99 — 123 

CHAPTER IV. 

New Hampshire 123—125 

CHAPTER V. 

Connecticut 125 — 133 

CHAPTER VI. 

Rhode Island 133 — 135 




CONTENTS. ix 

Page 

CHAPTER VII. 
New York. — Dutch West India Company — Swedish Colony 

Grant to the Duke of York— Leisler and Milborne 135—149 

CHAPTER VIII. 

New Jersey 149—152 

CHAPTER IX. 

Delaware 152 

CHAPTER X. 

Pennsylvania 154 — 158 

CHAPTER XL 

Maryland 158—162 

CHAPTER XII. 
North Carolina 162 — 166 

CHAPTER XIII. 
South Carolina 166 — 170 

CHAPTER XIV. 
Georgia 170—174 

CHAPTER XV. 
French and Indian War 174 — 191 

CHAPTER XVI. 
Causes of the Revolution 191 — 208 

CHAPTER XVII. 

Revolutionary War — Campaign of 1775 208 — 224 

CHAPTER XVIII. 
Campaign of 1776 224—235 



PART II. 
CHAPTER I. 

Conclusion of Campaign of 1776 235 — 266 

CHAPTER II. 

Campaign of 1777 266—302' 

CHAPTER III. 

Campaign of 1778 302 — 313 

CHAPTER IV. 

Campaign of 1779 313—324 



x CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER V. Page 

Campaign of 1780 324—336 

CHAPTER VI. 

Campaign of 1781 336—350 

PART III. 
CHAPTER I. 

Washington's Administration 350 — 358 

CHAPTER II. 

Adams' Administration 358 — 369 

CHAPTER III. 

Jefferson's Administration 362 — 363 

CHAPTERS IV., V., VI., VII. 

Madison's Administration — War with England — Campaigns 

of 1812, '13, '14 368—396 

CHAPTER VIII. 

Monroe's Administration 396 — 400 

CHAPTER IX. 

J. CI. Adams' Administration 400 — 403 

CHAPTER X. 

Jackson's Administration 403 — 409 

CHAPTER XI. 

Van Buren's Administration 409 — 413 

CHAPTER XII. 

Harrison's Administration 413 — 416 

CHAPTER XIII. 

Tyler's Administration c 416—419 

CHAPTER XIV, 

Polk's Administration — War with Mexico 419 — 447 ! 



CONTENTS. Xi 

CHAPTER XV. page 
Taylor's Administration 451 — 456 

CHAPTER XVI. 

Fillmore's Administration — Death of Webster , 456* — 459 

CHAPTER XVII. 
Pierce's Administration 460 — 467 

CHAPTER XVIII. 
Buchanan's Administration 468 — 488 

CHAPTER XIX. 

Lincoln's Administration — Rebellion 488 — 497 

CHAPTER XX. 

Events of 1862 497—511 

CHAPTER XXL 

Events of 1863 511—518 

CHAPTER XXII. 

Events of 1864 518—529 

CHAPTER XXIII. 
Events from January to May, 1865 529—534 



Constitution of the United States 535 

Chart of American History 542 



LIST OF AUTHORITIES. 



Bancroft's History of the United States Thatcher's Military Journal ; Robertson's History 
of America ; Botta's War of the Independence ; Holmes' Annals of America ; Irving's Life of 
Columbus; Marshall's History of the American Colonies ; Marshall's Life of Washington ; 
Sparks' Writings of Washington.; Pitkin's History of the States; Perkins' History of the Late 
War with Great Britain ; Belknap's History of New Hampshire ; Trumbull's Civrt and Eccle- 
siastical History of Connecticut ; Life of Capt. John Smith ; Hutchinson's History of Massa- 
chusetts Bay ; Smith's History of New York and New Jersey ; Proud's History of Pennsylva- 
nia ; Hewitt's Histories of Carolina and Georgia ; Ramsay's Revolution of South Carolina ; 
Dwight's Journal ; Stewart's Travels ; Willard's History of the United States ; Hale's History 
of the United States ; Goodrich's History of the United States; Stone's Life of Brandt; Vol- 
ney's View of America; Schoolcraft's Travels; Rafinesque ; Mitchell; American Antiqua- 
rian Researches; Clavigero's History of Mexico; Humboldt; Morse's Universal Geography ; 
Jefferson's Notes ; Gazetteer of Missouri ; Vater; Grimshaw's United States; Colden's His- 
tory of the Five Nations ; Encyclopedia; Brackenbridge's History of the Last War; State 
Papers; Niles' Register; Priest's Antiquities of America: Lossing's 1776 ; Life of Jackson ; 
Life of Harrison ; Lives of the Signers of the Declaration ot Independence ; Lives of the Presi- 
dents ; Head'(?y's Washington and his Generals; Malte Brun's Geography; De Tocqueville's 
Democracy in America ; Trumbull's Indian Wars ; Prescott's Conquest of Mexico; Life of 
General Houston; Taylor and his Generals; Life of General Scott j Robinson's Mexico and 
herMiUtary Chieftains; Longacre and Herring's National Gallery. 



xii 



fjietoro of tl)C Enitco States. 



AIEBICAN ANTIQUITIES 

AND 

DISCOVERIES IN THE WEST. 



HE leading incidents in the 

& What if 

history of the old world have gj 1 ^ 
been recorded by the pen of fi^% 
faithful historians, either sa-Sry h df 

' _,, , the old 

cred or profane. The Bible, world? 
the only book that has moved gf bl * e 
along upon the great stream 
of time and not been ingulphed in its eddying 
whirlpools, has thrown upon the earlier nations 
the bright light of inspiration. It commenced a 
clear and historical chain of events, stretching 
from the birth-day of Creation to the deluge, and 
from the deluge to the destruction of Jerusalem by 
Titus. 

2. In looking at the old world, we have spread 

° 5 r What is 

out before us a grand panorama of six thousand jj 
years. We can trace its events, witnessing the workn 
different nations, which have stepped upon the 
theatre of life and then passed away, while the 




AMERICAN ANTIQ.U TIES. 

finger of time has written rum and desolation on 
the proud temples and monuments of art, which 
they vainly deemed to be eternal, and scattered 
dust in the halls and palaces of their kings. The 
events which cluster so thickly around each point 
in the career of these ancient nations, make theii 
history full of peculiar interest. 

3. As the antiquarian wanders among the broken 
columns and scattered fragments of their ruined 
cities, the very small portions of their history with 
which he is acquainted give double interest to the 
scene. He stands by the broken gates of Thebes, 
upon her shattered walls, and gazes upon the stu- 
pendous ruins of that now silent and pulseless 
city. The veil is lifted from the past, his mind 
glances back through the long, dim vista of buried 
centuries, and he hears the throbbings of her 
mighty heart, the thundering tramp of her men- 
at-arms, as they sweep with waving crests, and 
burnished arms, in battle array through her broad 
gates. He listens, as the rays of the sun stream 
over the hills, and light up those shafts and 
domes. He hears strains of sweetest music, filling 
the air with its rich melody, pouring out from 
Memnon's temple, as if its tones were instinct with 
life. 

4. There, by its base, stands the sightless, bald- 
headed Homer, striking the harp of poesy with so 
bold a hand, as to fill all Greece with music, and 
send its immortal strains onward through all time. 
He stands upon the site of ancient Troy, and there 
pass before his vision the armed hosts of Greece, 
Ajax. Agamemnon, and the god-like Achilles, bat- 



ANTIQUITIES FULL OF INTEREST. 



tling with Trojan Hector and Priam for the beau- 
tiful Helen. He enters the ruined cities of the 
Pharaohs, wanders through the three thousand 
chambers of her mighty pyramids, descends into 
the sepulchres of her dead, and drags out from their 
long rest of thousands of years, the bodies of the 
kings and great men of Egypt, who sat upon the 
throne, and moved in splendor in those days when 
Israel groaned beneath their heavy weight of bond- 
age, slaves to their oppressors. As he stands on 
the cast-up mounds of what was once Babylon, and 
looks around him upon the wide scene of desola- 
tion — the waters of the Euphrates rolling over a what of 
portion of the city — he sees the fulfilment of a ^ ar h a e IJ > 
prophecy of God, pronounced thousands of years the 
before, when that nation was glorying in its strength Babylon? 
and power. " I will also make it a possession for 
the bittern, and pools of water ; and I will sweep 
it with the besom of destruction, saith the Lord of 
Hosts." 

5. Wander where he will through those ancient 
cities, and over the graves of those buried na- 
tions, scenes constantly start up before his eyes, 
made sacred by the pen of inspiration, the fulfil- 
ment of prophecy, the tongue of the orator, or the 
harp of poesy and song ; and every crumbling city, 
every hill and mountain, every stream of water has 
its own peculiar tale to tell. Hence, we have grown 

more familiar with those ancient nations than with aZ-St 

... , i . - have 

the antiquities and earlier history of our own coun- gjjwn 

try. Indeed, travelers seem never to have known, W j? h liar 

or to have forgotten, in their enthusiastic researches ancient 

nations 

and admiration of the ruins of the old world, thai 'nun our 

; own? 



16 



AMERICAN ANTIQUITIES. 



what do there exists a vast continent, far beyond those lands 
seem le to of poesy and song — beyond the broad bosom of 

have for- *\ 1 J . ° . . J , 

fhelfVd" " le Atlantic — containing hills and mountains, rivers 
^■ ir the n and lakes, far more stupendous and magnificent 
the 18 of! than any thing of which either Asia or Europe can 

world? . ,i , • • 

boast : that here, on this western continent, we are 
living — are moving over the tombs of nations, as 
ancient, and as far advanced in civilization as 
the Roman, the Persian, Chaldean, or Egyptian — 
that we are surrounded by the ruins of cities and 
fortresses, which bear evident marks of having been 
constructed hundreds of years before the landing 
of Columbus upon our shores, and by a race of men 
cotemporary with the Egyptians and Romans. 

6. No country in the world presents so broad a 

What is J r 

ot JC ow id ne ^ f° r study as does our own : none so rich in an- 
country? cient ruins, in mineral wealth, in internal resources, 
bold, majestic mountains, in vast inland seas, and 
in rivers, forming channels of communication with 
the ocean, thousands of miles in every direction into 
the interior of the country. 

7. North America stretches from north to south, 
tent? x " through a P art °f three zones, and covers an ex- 
tent of about 7,800,000 square miles. The middle 
portion comprises the United States, to the his- 
tory of which our attention will be more par- 
ticularly directed. It contains about 3,221,000 
square miles. The eastern shore is washed through- 
out the whole extent by the waves of the Atlantic, 
and its western resounds with the roar of the Pa- 
cific. 

8. It has Niagara thundering on its northerr 
boundaries, connected with the great Lakes, whose 



RIVERS OF THE WEST. 



17 



waters it pours into the river St. Lawrence, through Wha 
which great artery they are conveyed 1,900 miles to l^egrl 
(he ocean. From the western face of the Allegha- dvere" 
nies, a range of mountains presenting some of the 
most sublime scenery in the world, the Ohio takes 
its rise, and flows for 1,250 miles, until it empties 
itself into the Mississippi, the great father of waters, 
whose source is found at the extreme northern 
frontier of the United States, and winds on its ser- 
pentine course through every variety of climate and 
soil, 2,600 miles, until it discharges its swollen and 
turbid waters into the Mediterranean of the West, 
the Gulf of Mexico. 

9. Far back, toward the setting sun, on the 
eastern side of the Rocky Mountains, formed by the 
trickling streams which flow down its channeled 
sides, the Missouri, another mighty river, takes its 
rise, and sweeps on through a country teeming with 
the most luxuriant vegetation, 2,500 miles, until it 
pours its dark volume into the Mississippi. These 
are some of the great streams which, like arteries, 
pervade every part of the country, causing it to bud 
and blossom like the rose, and teem with life and 
vegetation. On our northern shores lie vast inter- 
nal seas, many hundred miles in extent. 

10. What nation, or what country in the world, 
can boast of mountains, lakes, and rivers like our 
own ? But we are not to suppose that this country 
has remained quiet and undisturbed during the ter- 
rible commotions of nature which have shaken the 
eastern world. The same great causes which 
plowed a channel for the Black Sea to the Medi- 
terranean, opened a passage through the Straits of 

2 



18 



AMERICAN ANTIQUITIES. 



What is 



Gibraltar for its waters to the ocean, overwhelmed 
with a flood of fire Pompeii and Herculaneum, 
hurled up from the bottom of the sea vast islands, arid 
rolled its waves over others, have been at work here. 

11. The whole land, from north to south and 
thl d °^ n ' om eas t t0 west, plainly shows the change which 
which has been produced by these great agents. Many 
produced of the vales of our rivers were once the bottoms of 

in the 

country? immense lakes ; and now, where the tops of the 
tallest forests wave, or where the towering spires of 
many a Christian temple make glad with their 
sight the heart of civilized man ; and where are the 
smoking chimneys of his wide-spread habitations ; 
once sported (long, perhaps, before the advent of our 
Saviour) the monstrous lake-serpent and finny tribe, 
or birds of bright plumage passed along the horizon. 

12. We look to the soil, where grazes the peace- 
ful flock — to the fields, where wave a thousand har- 
vests — to the air above, where play the wings of 
the low-flighted swallow — and to the roads, where 
the passing wheels denote the course of men — and 
say, can this be so ? Yes ; where the waves once 
rolled is now fixed the foundation of many a state- 
ly mansion, the dwelling of man. Such the muta- 
tion of matter and the change of habitation. 

13. The principal ridges of the Alleghany, Blue 
whit Ridge, &c, run in a transverse direction to most 
" l evf- of the great rivers, so that their mounds must have 

been broken through, to make a way to the sea from 
the bosom of the valleys. This is evident in the 
indiM- Potomac, Susquehannah, Delaware, James rivers, 
and others, where they issue from the confines of 
the mountains to enter the lower country 



dent 
the Sus- 
uuehan- 
nah, Po- 
tomac, 



vare 
rivers ? 



ANCIENT LAKES. 



19 



14. The Potomac, three miles below the mouth What If 
of the Shenandoah, gives a striking example of this said of 
fact. It here dashes and foams along upon its toman » 
rocky bed, through what is evidently a breach in 

the Blue Ridge, about twelve hundred yards wide, 
and three hundred and fifty yards high. This 
chasm plainly displays traces of an ancient wall, 
composed of grey quartz, which once dammed up 
the river, forming immense lakes, that stretched 
far back over a great extent of territory. 

15. The valley of the Shenandoah and Conigo- What 
cheague must have been the basin of a single great proLbil 
lake, extending from Staunton to Chambersburg. ajreat 
The upper branches of the James river would have f y rm ^ 
swelled it with their waters, and finding no obsta- doah and 
cle below, must have extended not only to the Sus- cheafuei 
quehannah and Schuylkill, but even to the Delaware. 
The outlets to these vast lakes must have been 
over the rocky walls of the mountain harriers, which 
have since broken : thus they would have formed 

falls of the most magnificent description, which had 
thundered in their descent from the time of Noah's 
flood till the rupture of the ridge took place, and 
the immense lake, drained of its waters, laid open 
a tract of rich soil to the genial warmth of the sun. 

16. There is every reason to suppose that the 
Hudson was checked in its passage to the sea, by a have*° 
chain of rocks stretching across the present chan- made in 
nel, at the Highlands, causing the waters to extend son? 
over a considerable surface of the country, in the 
form of a large lake. A strong argument favoring What 
this theory exists in the presence of alluvia, petri- iSm f thi» 
fied shells, &c., found along the banks, in different theory7 



20 



AMERICAN ANTIQ.UITIES. 



parts of the valley of the Hudson, and in fact, m 
the valleys of most of our large rivers, 
what IT. These ancient lakes, now drained by the 
^uppofed breaking away of their mounds, explain very beau- 
|£™ tifully the appearance observed in the valleys of 
lakes? snofa rivers as are supposed to have been once 
lakes, as the Tennessee, the Kentucky, the Missis- 
sippi, the Kanhaway, and the Ohio. This appear- 
whatap- ance is the several stages or flats, observed on the 
in these banks of these rivers, and most of the rivers of 

rivers is ' 

by pl thjs d America, showing that subsequently the waters of 
theory? ^ e r j verg were higher, but as the mounds which 
dammed up their course became gradually broken 
away by the weight of the mass above them, the 
waters being thus drained off, new marks of em- 
what of bankment would be formed, far below the original 

thebanks . . . 1 . , , 

Ohio? 6 ones > circumscribing, by a large distance, the chan- 
nel of the river. This is very perceptible on the 
Ohio, at Cincinnati, where the original bank is 
nearly 50 feet above the present level of the river. 

18. When we examine the arrangement of these 
flats, we are furnished with indubitable evidence 
that the place where the city of Cincinnati now 
stands was once, not only the seat of waters, but the 
primitive bed of the river, which appears to have 
had three different periods of decline, till it has sunk 
to its present bed or channel. The level of the 
second flat of the Ohio, which is the general surface 
of the country, is no more than 70 feet below Lake 
Erie ; consequently, a mound of two hundred feet at 
Silver Creek, six hundred miles down the Ohio 
from Pittsburg (where there is every reason to sup- 
pose that a ch<rn of hills stretched across the pre- 



What is 
farther 
stated of 
this riv- 
en 



ANCIENT LAKES. 



21 



sent bed of the river), would have been sufficient to 
keep back its waters, not only as far as Lake Erie, 
but even to spread them from the last slopes of the 
Alleghanies to the north of Lake Superior. 

18. The existence of ancient lakes explains why, what is 

r J 7 farther 

in every part of the basin of the Ohio, the land is j^m'the 
always leveled in horizontal beds of different heights, of these 

ii n i • • i f ancient 

ana why we find in various places, remains ot trees. ^ es2 
of osier, and other plants. The vast amount of drift 
wood carried down' by the various streams which 
discharged their water into the lakes, would be de- 
posited on the bottom near the shores, as the surface 
of these internal seas became lowered by the new 
outlets. 

19. The lower part of the Mississippi river gives what » 

us many evidences that the waters were once dam- JJ^J" 

med up, forming above them a lake which filled up tA7tn 

a large portion of its valley. The West India ley of the 

° r J Missis- 

islands are supposed by naturalists to have been s ' ppi? 

the Atlantic coast of the continent ; the breaking 

away of the mound confining the immense body 

of water, which once covered an almost boundless 

portion of the West, must, beyond doubt, have 

raised the Atlantic so as to submerge in its increase 

many a sunny spot along its coasts, leaving only the 

more elevated tracts above the surface of the water, 

in which we now see the numerous islands on our 

eastern shore and on the Gulf of Mexico. 

What 

20. Though the northern parts of North America l h J,f e3 
have been known to us but about two centuries, yet, duceTS 
during that time, no less than forty-five earth- 
quakes have occurred, many of them so severe as to NorthJ 
prostrate houses, dry up wells and streams of water. 



22 AMERICAN ANTIQUITIES. 



ces of 

volcanic 

action 

around 

Lake On 

tario? 



what n shocks of these earthquakes extended north- 

east, and south-west, particularly affecting the direc- 
tion of Lake Ontario, and were attended by a fetid 
smell of sulphur. Volney supposes, from the singu- 
lar structure of this lake, that it was once the crater 
of a vast volcano. Another reason for this supposi- 
tion is the great depth of the lake, being generally 
upward of three hundred feet, and in many places 
the bottom cannot be found with a line of forty rods. 
Volcanic productions are found in vast quantities on 
its shores. Whether this idea of Volney is correct, 
or not, the northern part of this country, especially 
in the vicinity of Lake Ontario, bears strong marks 
of having been exposed to the action of those two 
powerful agents, fire and water, which are constantly 
producing such mighty changes in the universe of 
matter. 

21. We have now glanced briefly at the general 
face of the country, the changes which have been 
produced by the draining of the vast internal lakes, 
by the breaking away of their barriers, fe* and 
shall now touch upon those ancient ruins of cities, 
mounds, and fortifications, in which this country is 
so peculiarly rich. 

22. Foreign travelers complain that America pre- 
sents nothing like ruins within her boundaries ; no 
ivy-mantled towers, nor moss-covered turrets, as in 
other quarters of the earth. Old Fort Putnam, on 
the Hudson, rearing its lofty decayed sides high 
above West Point ; or the venerable remains of two 
wars at Ticonderoga, upon Lake OLamplain, they 
say, afford something of the kind. But what are 
mouldering castles, falling turrets or crumbling 



MOUNDS AND FORTIFICATIONS. 



23 



abbeys, in comparison with those ancient and arti- 
ficial aboriginal hills which hare outlived genera- 
tions, and even all tradition — the workmanship of 
unknown hands ! Here are skeletons of strange 
forms, unknown to the Indians ; preserved bodies, 
fortifications, immense mounds and tumuli, which, 
from their number, obscurity of origin and magni- 
tude, are to be ranked among the wonders of ancient 
things. It remains for America to tell the story of 
her antiquities — to arouse her virtuosi and anti- 
quarians to the search ; for here, beyond a doubt, 
are traits of nations coeval with ancient, and pro- 
bably with the oldest works of man, this side the 
flood. 

23. These mounds and fortifications are generally where 
found on fertile bottoms, and near rivers. Several mounds. 

' arc. ?eo- 

hundreds have been discovered along the valley of gjJSj 
the Mississippi ; the largest of which stands not 
far from Wheeling, on the Ohio. This mound is 

n . . What of 

fifty rods in circumference, and ninety feet in per- jj® und 
pellicular height. It is filled with thousands of wheei- 
human skeletons, and was probably situated near W£: 
some great city, and was a general deposit of the 
dead for ages — where they were placed in grada- 
tion, one layer above another, till they reached the 
top. 

24. Judging from the large trees growing on the 
mound, amid old and decayed timber covered with 
mould and leaves, showing them to be of the second 
or third growth, it must have been at least twelve 
hundred years since it was deserted. 

25. In the lower part of Wisconsin are found 
mounds exceedingly curious in their form and struc- 



24 



AMERICAN ANTIQUITIES. 



ture. They consist of elevations of earth of diversi- 
fied outline and various size, for the most part con- 
sisting of effigies of beasts, birds, reptiles, and of the 
human form, but often circular, quadrangular, 01 
oblong in shape. None of these works exceed fifteeD 
feet in height. In Dade county, Wisconsin, the 
figures generally resemble the bear or buffalo, and 
vary in size from ninety to one hundred and twenty 
feet. In the midst of one group is a representation 
of a human figure, placed with its head toward the 
west, and having its arms and legs extended. Its 
length is one hundred and twenty-five feet, and it is 
one hundred and forty feet from the extremity of 
one arm to the other. The body is thirty feet in 
breadth, the head twenty-five feet in diameter, and 
its elevation, greater than that of the others, being 
about six feet. The human figure is not uncommon 
among the effigies, and is always characterized by 
the unnatural length of the arms. Half a mile west 
of this group stands a solitary mound, ninety feet 
long, representing an animal with its head toward 
the south-west. This class of mounds are scattered 
to a considerable extent throughout this portion of 
the country, and are generally found in groups in a 
fertile country, and near streams of water. They 
form a class unlike those in the southern part of the 
valley of the Mississippi, and in the vicinity of the 
Ohio and the Lakes, 
artjatof 26. At Marietta extensive fortifications are 
fications found, consisting of walls and mounds of earth. I 

at Muri- . . ° . . P.i.i 

etta) running m straight lines, from six to ten feet nigh, 
and nearly forty broad at their base. There is 



FORTIFICATIONS IN OHIO. 



25 



also at this place a fort of this ancient description, 
which incloses nearly fifty acres of land. There 
?are openings in this fortification, supposed to have 
been, when thronged with its own busy multitudes, 
used as gateways, with a passage from one of 
them, formed by two parallel walls of earth, lead- 
ing toward the river. This fort gives us some- 
thing of an idea, not only of the power of the 
builders, but the strength of their enemy. These Whal 
fortifications correspond, in almost every respect, have we 
with the Roman forts and camps ; and it is highly 
probable, as we shall hereafter show, that they were }|^" ari 
constructed by that nation, man on- 

27. Any one, on looking at the account given by em ' 
Josephus of the forms of the Roman camps, in his 
Book 5, chap. 5, page 219, will be surprised at the 
striking similarity between the two ; a similarity 
which could not have been the result of chance. 

Dr. Morse says the forts of the Romans in Eng- 
land were universally square; and those of the 
ancient Danes, Belgae and Saxons, were distinguish- 
ed by being round. Here, too, are the parallel 
walls, the ditch, the elevated squares at its corners, 
the parapets and gateways, like those of the Romans. 

At the time that the Romans held Britain as a 
province, their character was a martial and a mar- 
itime one. They possessed a sufficient knowledge 
of navigation to traverse the ocean, by means of 
the stars and the sun. Their ships, as early as the 
year 55 before Christ, were large and heavy ; and 
it was equally in their power to have found Ame- 
rica by chance, as well as other nations — the Welsh 
or the Scandinavians, who made a settlement 



26 



AMERICAN ANTIQUITIES. 



at the mouth of the St. Lawrence in the year 
1000. 

vyhatre- 28. In the month of December. 1827, a planter 

lies of an- ' 7 l 

'X ty discovered in a field, a short distance from Monte 
ia°razfi? n Yideo, a sort of tomb-stone, upon which strange, 
and to him unknown characters were engraved. 
He caused this stone, which covered a small exca- 
vation formed with masonry, to be raised, in which 
he found two exceedingly ancient swords, a helmet, 
and shield, which had suffered much from rust ; 
also an earthen vessel of large capacity Greek 
words were easily made out upon them, which, 
when translated, read as follows : 

" During the dominion of Alexander the son of 
Philip, King of Macedon, in the sixty-third Olym- 
piad, Ptolemais" it was impossible to decypher 

the rest, on account of the ravages of time on the 
engraving of the stone. 

29. On the handle of one of the swords is the 
portrait of a man, supposed to be Alexander the 
Great. On the helmet there is sculptured work, 
that must have been executed with the most ex- 
quisite skill, representing Achilles dragging the 
Towhat corpse of Hector round the walls of Troy, a scene 
sion are taken from Homer's Iliad. From the discoverv of 

•ve led »..■■• . i „ * n „ 

[n»m these relics it is quite clear that the soil of Brazil 
relics Y13.S been dug by some of the old Greeks, who lived 
near the time of Alexander. It is highly probable 
that some of the Grecian navigators, in their voy- 
ages of discovery, of which they made many, were 
driven upon the southern coast, and left behind 
them this monument to preserve the memory of 
their vovage to so distant a country. 



GREEK DISCOVERIES 



21 



30. Eratosthenes, a Greek philosopher, mathe- w ^ 
matician and historian, who nourished two hundred frios° f 
years before Christ, mentions the name of Pytheas, thenes) 
who lived in the time of Alexander the Great, as 
being a Greek philosopher, geographer and astron- 
omer, as well as a voyager, if not an admiral, 

as he made several voyages into the Atlantic 
Ocean. There was a great liability of these adven- 
turers being driven off in a western direction, not 
only by the current which sets always toward 
America, but also by the trade-winds, which blow 
in the same direction for several months in the 
year. 

31. In 1S21, on the bank of the river Desperes, what 
in Missouri, was found by an Indian a Romance 

' - been dm 

coin, which was presented to Gov. Clark. A Per- ^ered? 
sian coin was also discovered near a spring in the 
Ohio some feet under ground. 

The remains of former dwellings, hearths and What of 
fire-places, and bones of animals in immense quan- £3h»of 

« t' i *~k* » ancient 

titles, are found along- the banks of the Ohio, many dweU - 
feet under ground ; while above these former habi- 
tations of men are found growing trees, as large 
as any in the surrounding forest. Surely, this car- 
ries us back into the dark past, and tells us a 
mournful tale of the overthrow of mighty nations, 
and the final extinction of their name from the 
earth. 

32. Lexington, in Kentucky, stands nearly on what 
the site of an ancient town, of great extent and £j™ 
magnificence, which is amply evinced by the wide found 

- . , . . - nsarLex- 

range oi its works covering a great quantity of ineton) 
ground. 



28 



AMERICAN ANTIQUITIES. 



There is connected with the antiquities of this 
place a catacomb, formed in the bowels of the 
limestone rock, about fifteen feet below the surface 
of the earth. This was discovered in 1775 b) 
some of the first settlers, whose curiosity was ex 
what f c ^ te ^ by tne sm gul ar appearance of the stones 
Smb ata " which covered the entrance to the cavern. They 
JdSf? removed the stones, when was laid open to their 
view the mouth of a cave, deep, gloomy, and terri- 
fic, as they supposed. Providing themselves with 
lights and companions, they descended and entered 
without obstruction a spacious apartment. The 
sides and extreme ends were formed into niches 
and compartments, and occupied by figures, repre- 
senting men. When their alarm had sufficiently 
subsided to permit them to pursue their investiga- 
tions, they found these figures to be mummies, 
preserved, by the art of embalming, in as great a 
state of perfection as any that have been dug out 
of the tombs in Egypt, where they have remained 
more than three thousand years. Unfortunately 
for antiquity and science, this inestimable discov- 
ery was made by an ignorant class of people, at a 
period when a bloody and inveterate war was car- 
ried on between the Indians and whites. 

33. The whites, indignant at the many outrages 
came of committed by the Indians, wreaked their hatred 

.'he J 1 

£gSf and revenge upon every thing connected with 
them. Supposing this to be a burying-place for 
their dead, they dragged them out to the open air, 
tore open their bandages, kicked the bodies into 
dust, and made a general bonfire of the most an- 
cient remains antiquity could boast. The descent 



CATACOMB NEAR LEXINGTON. 29 

to th is cavern is gradual — the width four feet, the What ol 
height seven, and the whole length of the catacomb £ of 
was found to be eighteen rods and a half, and the em? 
width six and a half; and calculating from the 
niches and shelvings on the sides, it was capable of 
containing at least two thousand subjects. 

34. Here they had lain, perhaps, for thousands 
of years, embalmed and placed there by the same 
race of men with those who built the Pyramids of 
Egypt, and who excavated their tombs in the earth, 
or in the rocky mountain sides. What changes 
had passed over the world since they were deposit- 
ed there in their quiet resting-place by the hands 
of affection ! Over the ruins of their cities a new 
race flourished. Earth had grown old and hoary, 
and time had crumbled their monuments into 
dust. 

35. The conviction forces itself irresistibly upon Whc are 
our mind, that the people who made this cav- ?o PP htve 
em and filled it with the thousands of their eiH- formers 

of this 

balmed dead were indeed from Egypt. If they j^- 
were not, whither shall we turn for a solution of 
this mystery ? The North American Indians were 
never known to form catacombs for their dead, or 
to be acquainted with the art of preservation by 
embalming. 

Catacombs are numerous all over Egypt — vast 
excavations, with niches in their sides for their em- 
balmed dead, exactly such as the one we have de- 
scribed'. This custom is purely Egyptian, and was 
practised in the earliest age of their national ex- 
istence. 

36. A trait, of national practice, so strong aid 



30 



AMERICAN ANTI&UiTIES. 



make? 



why are P ai P a ble as is this peculiar art, should lead the mind 
iiev? be " to a belief that wherever the thing is practised, we 
of e E g yp e have found in its authors either a colony from Egypt, 
ein? or the descendants of some nation in Africa ac- 
quainted with the art. 

37. But if this be so, the question here arises, 
how came they to America, since the shortest dis- 

What tance between America and Africa is about 1700 
voyage* miles? This question is easily answered. The 

did the . _ . n . . J 

Sfns" ancient Egyptians were a maritime people ; and wc 
find that as far back as b. c. 1485 years, one Dana- 
us, with his fifty daughters, sailed into Greece and 
anchored at Rhodes. 881 years after the landing 
of this vessel at Rhodes, we find the Eg)^ptians, un- 
der the direction of Necho, their king, fitting out 
some Phenicians with a fleet, with directions to sail 
from the Red Sea quite around the continent of Af- 
rica, and to return by the Mediterranean, which 
they effected ; thus performing a voyage of more 
than 16,000 miles — two-thirds of the distance 
around the earth. It is true they were without the 
use of the compass and magnet ; yet they were 
much better skilled in the knowledge of the heav- 
enly bodies than navigators at present. 

38. From the western coast of Africa there is a 
constant current of the sea setting toward Amer- 
ica : so that if a vessel were lost it would naturally 
reach at last the American coast. Egypt and the 
West India islands are both between 20 and 30 de- 



grees north. Sailing from Egypt out of the Medi- 



How 
could 

babiy terranean, through the Straits of Gibraltar, would 
S&Si throw a vessel, in case of an easterly storm, aided 
by ihe current, as high north as opposite the Bah a- 



ANCIENT RUINS. 31 

ma islands. The trade-winds sweep westward 
across the Atlantic, through a space of 50 or 60 de- 
grees of longitude, carrying every thing within their 
current directly to the American coast. Kentucky 
is but five degrees north of Egypt ; so that a band 
of adventurers could easily have been driven near 
the eastern coast on the Gulf of Mexico, and there 
found in our majestic Mississippi something like 
the Nile. 

39. On the banks of the Muskingum, and at What 
Circleville, are the ruins of immense walls, forts. foind are 
mounds and wells, built, many of them, of beauti- cleville? 
fully hewn stone, and according to the most scien- 
tific principles of architecture. At Paint Creek, in 
Ohio, are works of art more wonderful than any cleekT 
yet described. They are six in number, and are in 

the immediate neighborhood of each other. In one 
of those grand inclosures are contained three forts : 
one embraces 17, another 27, a third 77, amount- 
ing in all to 121 acres of land. 

40. There are fourteen gateways leading out of 

trie works, from one to six rods in width — at the ihem! b< 
outside of each of these gateways is an ancient 
well, from four to six rods in width at the top. 
Within the large inclosure is an elliptical elevation 
25 feet in height, 100 feet in circumference, and fill- 
ed with human bones. The elevation is perfectly 
smooth and level on the top, and it may have been 
a place where the priests of their religion sacrificed 
human beings before the vast throng which con- 
gregated around the mound to witness the bloody 
rites. 

41. New discoveries are constantly being made 



32 



AMERICAN ANTIQUITIES. 



of these ancient ruins. These works are alike in 
their construction, and contain articles similar to 
those found in mounds in Europe, Asia and Af- 
rica. Some have supposed that all of the great 
works of the West which we have noticed belong 
to our present race of Indians ; but, from continual 
mce w has wars with each other, they have driven themselves 

supposed from agricultural pursuits, and thinned their num- 

that . .,11,11 

great ^ers, unt " tne y have been reduced to sav ageism. 

bdong? Have our present race of Indians ever buried theii 
dead in mounds by thousands ? Were they ac- 
quainted with the use of silver or copper ? These 
metals, most curiously wrought, have been found. 
Did our ancient Indians burn the bodies of distin- 

What 

ees de are guished chiefs on funeral piles, and then raise a 
to d the d lofty tumulus over the urn containing their ashes 1 
Did the Indians erect any thing like the walled 
towns on Paint Creek ? Did they ever dig such 
wells as are found at Marietta, Portsmouth, and 
above all, such as those at Paint Creek ? Did 
they ever manufacture vessels from calcarious brec- 
cia, equal to any now made in Italy 1 

42. To this we respond, they never have : no, 
not even their traditions afford a glimpse of the ex- 
istence of such things as forts, tumuli, roads, wells, 
mounds, walls inclosing between one and two hun- 
dred — and even five hundred acres of land ; some 
of them of stone, others of earth, twenty feet in 
thickness and very high, are works requiring too 
much labor for Indians ever to have performed. 
The skeletons found in the mounds never belonged 
Describe to a people like our Indians. The latter are tall 

Ihe skel- r 1 

nous. anc j va ther slender, straight-limbed people ; buf 



WELSH COLONY. 



33 



tbose found m the barrows and tumuli, were rarely 
over five feet high ; their foreheads were low, their 
faces were very short and wide, their eyes large, 
and their chins very broad. 

43. Weapons of brass have been found in many 
parts of America ; as in the Canadas, Florida, &c.,' 
with curiously wrought stones ; all of which go to 
prove that this country was once peopled with civ- 
ilized and industrious nations. 

44. The celebrated Lord Monboddo, philosopher 
and metaphysician, spent some time on the study 

of the origin of languages, and was a firm believer m 

o © © J What 

in the account of America having been visited by ^ ni ^ 6 
a colony from Wales, long previous to the discovery mom- 
of Columbus ; and says the fact is well recorded by spectm? 
several Welsh historians, and cannot be contested. ^° yin 
There are many circumstances which render this nca? 
probable. Of late years, accounts have been re- 
ceived of a nation inhabiting a region a great dis- 
tance up the Missouri, in manners and appearance 
resembling the other Indians, but speaking Welsh, 
and retaining some ceremonies of Christian wor- 
ship. Imlay, in his history of America, says this is 
universally believed to be a fact. 

45. On the head-waters of the Red river is 
a tribe calling themselves the McCedas tribe, 
whose manners, customs, and speech resemble S at i 8 
the Welsh. Powel, in his history of Wales, in SoweM 1 
the 12th century, speaks of a lost colony ; and 

also of the voyage of Madoc, son of Owen Groyn- 
wedk, prince of Wales. w T ho becoming dissatisfied 
at home, started on a voyage west, in quest of 
some new country, in which to settle. He found 



34 



AMERICAN ANTIQUITIES. 



there a pleasant home ; and after a while returned 
to Wales and persuaded many of his countrymen 
to join him; he put to sea again with ten ships, 
and there the Welsh historian stopj, for their story 
was never known at home. 
what of 46. Lord Monboddo says that America was vis- 
gian col- ited by Norwegians long before this lost colony left 
Ameri- Wales. They came from Greenland, which they 
discovered in the year 964. He endeavors to prove 
in his most curious and interesting book, that Ame- 
rica w r as peopled as soon after the flood as any 
other country as far from Ararat, and perhaps soon- 
er. He supposes the people of the old world to 
have had a knowledge of this country as early as 
the siege of Troy, about 1100 years b. c. 

A very plausible account of the discoveries of 
count of these northern islanders is given by Snoro Sturle- 

the dis- & J 

wvery of S0Ilj i n hi s chronicle of King Olaus. He says, one 
men th "is Biorn of Iceland, voyaging to Greenland in search 
I'noro by of his father, from whom he had been separated by 
son? a storm, was driven by tempestuous weather far 
to the south-west, until he came in sight of a low 
country covered with woods, with an island in its 
vicinity. His account of the country he had seen 
excited the enterprise of Leif, son of Eric Rauder, 
the first settler of Greenland. 

47. A vessel was fitted out, and Leif and Biorn 
departed together in quest of this unknown land. 
They found a rocky island, to which they gave the 
name of Helleland ; also a low, sandy country, to 
which they gave the name of Markland ; and twc 
days afterward they observed a continuance of the 
coast, with an island lo the north of it. This last 



DISCOVERIES OF THE NORTHMEN. 



35 



they described as fertile, well wooded, producing 
agreeable fruits — and particularly the grape a fruit 
with which they were not acquainted ; but on being 
informed by one of their companions, a German, of its 
qualities and name, they called the country VineJand. 

48. They ascended a river well stored with fish, 
particularly salmon, and came to a lake from which 
the river took its origin, where they passed the 
winter. It is very probable that this river was the 
St. Lawrence, and the lake, Ontario. It is said by 
the same writer that the relatives of Leif made sev- 
eral voyages to Yineland ; that they traded with 
the natives for peltry and furs ; and that in 1121, 
a bishop, named Eric, went from Greenland to Vine- 
land to convert the inhabitants to Christianity. 

49. There is every appearance that the tribe ofwhom 
which still exists in the interior of Newfoundland, tribe 11 of 
and who are so different from the other savages of Ed- 
North America, both in appearance and mode of ^ se ^ e !° 
living, are descendants of the ancient Normans, scen,led •' 
Scandinavians or Danes. 

50. In the year 1354 a fishing squadron w r as 
driven about the sea by a mighty tempest, for many 
days, until a boat, containing seven persons, was 
cast upon an island, called Estotiland, about one 
thousand miles from Friesland. They were taken 
to a populous city, the inhabitants of which were 
intelligent and acquainted with the mechanical arts 
of Europe. They cultivated grain, made beer, and 
lived in stone houses. In the king's library were 
Latin manuscript books. They had many towns 
and castles, and carried on a trade with Greenland 
for pitch, sulphur, and peltry. 



36 



AMERICAN ANTIQUITIES. 



51. Finding the Frieslanders acquainted with 
the compass (which they had never seen), they 
held them in great esteem, and the king sent them 
with twelve barks to visit a country farther south, 
where they found in their travels a civilized region 
where the people had a knowledge of gold and sil 
ver, lived in cities, and sacrificed human victims in 
their splendid temples. 

A distinguished writer of Copenhagen possesses 
ancient genuine documents, showing that America 
was discovered soon after Greenland, and that it 
was again visited in the 11th, 12th, and 13th cen- 
turies. 

52. The remains of stone houses, walls and for- 
ma 1 / we tifications, iron tools, and various mechanical in- 
thesp 're- struments, which are found in different parts of the 

rmins to ' 1 

Kuro°p f e- country, compare with those in Europe about the 
tiai n ' 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th centuries ; from which we 
conclude them to be wholly of European origin. 

53. In Onondaga county, N. Y., is the site of an 
res 1 o? a anc i ent burying-ground, on which timber of the 
n!"!tare second growth was growing — judging from the old 
cSd" timber reduced to mould lying round — which was 
Sd °" a hundred years old, as ascertained by counting the 

concentric grains. In one of the graves was found 
a glass bottle, and an iron hatchet edged with steel. 
The eye, or place for the helve, was round, and 
projected like the ancient German axe. In the 
same town were found the remains of a black- 
smith's forge, and crucibles, such as mineralogists 
use in refining metals. 

54. In Scipio, a Mr. Halsted has from time to 
time ploughed upon his farm, seven or eight lum- 



ANCIENT RELICS. 



37 



dred pounds of brass, which appeared to have been 
formed into various implements of husbandry and ^2fL- 
war. On this field forest timber was growing - ?stipioof 
abundantly, which had attained a great age and size, menu 
Mr. Halsted found also sufficient wrought iron to 
shoe his horses for many years. We cannot resist 
the conclusion that on this farm was situated a 
European village of Danes or Welsh, who were ex- 
terminated by war hundreds of years before Colum- 
bus was born. 

55. On the Black river, a man in digging a well At what 
found a quantity of China and delf ware, at the ^ a v c e es rel . 
depth of several feet. In Tompkins county, Mr. found? 6 " 
Lee discovered on his farm the entire works of a what are 

they 1 ? 

wagon reduced to rust. On the flats of the Genesee 
river, on the land of Mr. Liberty Judd, was found a 
bit of silver, about the length of a man's finger, 
hammered to a point at one end, while the other 
was smooth and square, on which was engraved 
in Arabic figures, the year of our Lord 600. 

56. The traits of a Scandinavian, Welsh and what is 

; the re- 

Danish population are clear ; and we agree with the ™« k o , 

remark of Professor Beck, that they certainly form leek 

X class of antiquities, entirely distinct from the inKS* 

1 antiqui- 

Walled towns, barrows or mounds. ties ? 

57. Did our limits allow, we could go still more 
minutely into the history and description of these 
ancient ruins, at which we have but just glanced. 
Yet we think we have described enough to show 
that this so called " New World " is as rich in ruins 
as Asia or Africa : that here, long before the discov- 
ery of Columbus, have lived and flourished nations 
possessing a knowledge of the true God, and as far 



38 



AMERICAN ANTIQUITIES. 



advanced in civilization as those on the eastern con 
tinent. After having glanced at the first settle- 
ment of this country since the flood, and its separa- 
tion from the old world, we shall bring this highh 
interesting section to a close. 

58. It may be reasonably supposed, that, foi 
what some length of time after the great deluge and the 

may we ° ° ° 

res p p p e°ct e portioning out of the world by Noah to his three 
difect a sons, there might have been a direct communica- 
nication tion by land between every part of the earth ; but 
eart r h the °y earthquakes and convulsions of nature, the uniting 
dekg<S e links between the two great continents have been 
broken away and overflown by water, while in 
other parts of the earth the same convulsions have 
thrown up land above the surface of the water. 
thX y not s This supposition is not at all improbable, for we are 

improba- , . 1 

ble} constantly witnessing the disappearance of large 
tracts of country, the extension of the dry land far 
into the sea, and the appearance of large islands. 
Recite ^9. The 25th verse of the 10th chapter of Gene- 
verse's sis would rather favor the idea of the union of con- 
of Gen-' tinents, for it says, " In the days of Peleg the, 
earth was divided" This passage is supposed by 
do 7oml man y eminent commentators to refer to a separa- 
fuppose tion of the two great continents by the breaking up 
refer ? to and overthrow of the land intervening. 

The birth of Peleg was about 100 years after the 
what flood, the very time when Babel was being built. 

was the 1 J ° 

ofBuffon 60- BufTon and other naturalists believed that 

and other 
natural- 
ists re- 



esis. 



America and China were united on the west, and 
Bpecting Europe and America on the east. It was contend- 

America 1 

ed by the learned Clavigero that the equatorial 
parts of Africa and America were once united 



ISLAND OF ATLANTIS. 



3 U 



Whether this be true or not, the two countries ap- 
proach each other in a remarkable manner, along 
the coast of Guinea on the side of Africa, and the 
coast of Pernambuco on the side of South America. 

61. Among the early Egyptian priests was pre- 
served an account of the existence and final destruc 
tion of a large island, situated in the Western Ocean, 
called Atlantis. This island is mentioned by Pla- 
to, who wrote about 500 b. c, in his dialogue, enti- 
tled " Timeaus." 

62. Solon, the Athenian lawgiver, is supposed to 
have traveled into Egypt, about 600 years b. c. He 
arrived at an ancient temple on the Delta, a fertile 
island formed by the Nile, where he held a conver- 
sation with certain learned priests respecting the 
antiquities of remote ages. 

63. " This island, Atlantis." said the Egyptian What 
priest, " was situated in the Western Ocean, opposite remarks 
the straits of Hercules," which would place it exact- °ian e>p 

1 priests 

ly between a part of Europe and America. " There ^| pe ^; 
was," said the priest, " an easy passage from this A&til 
to other islands which lay adjacent to a large con- 
tinent, exceeding in size all Europe and Asia. 
The Atlantians made irruptions into Europe and 
Africa, subduing all Lybia, as far as Egypt, Eu- 
rope and Asia Minor. They were resisted, howev- 
er, by the Athenians, and driven back to their At- 
lantic territories." The Athenians settled at 
Athens, m Greece, 1556 b. c. One hundred years 
after their establishment at Athens, they had be- 
come a powerful nation : so that the time the At- 
lantians were repulsed must have been about the 
year 1443 b. c. 



40 



AMERICAN ANTIQUITIES 



What 

account 
is given 



64. " Shortly after this," says Plato. { there wa* 
a tremendous earthquake, and an overflowing of 
by Plato? the sea, which continued a day and a night ; in 
the course of which the vast island of Atlantis, 
and all its splendid cities and warlike nations, were 
swallowed up, and sunk to the bottom of the sea 
which spreading its waters over the chasm, added 
a vast region to the Atlantic Ocean. For a long 
time, however, the sea was not navigable, on ac- 
count of rocks and shoals of mud and slime, and 
the ruins of that drowned country." 



What at 
lusion v. 



island by 65. An allusion to this same island, Atlantis, 
is made by Euclid, who flourished about 300 years 
b. c, in a conversation which he had with Ana- 
charsis, a Scythian philosopher, who had, in search 
of knowledge, traveled from the far distant north 
to Athens, where he became acquainted with 
Euclid, They conversed on the various convul- 
sions of the globe ; and among other changes 
Euclid spoke of an island, as large as Africa, which 
existed beyond the shores of Europe, which, with 
all its wretched inhabitants, was swallowed up by 
an earthquake. Here, then, is another witness, be- 
sides Solon, who lived 300 years before the time of 
Euclid, who testifies to the past existence of the 
island Atlantis. These allusions to the vast 
island, and the noble continent beyond it, are ex- 
ceedingly curious, and not without some foundation 
of probability. 

66. There are many undoubted evidences of an 
dencesof antediluvian population in America, in a class of 
vjanpop- antiquities, distinguished entirely from those which 
rica\ me * we have described in the mounds, fortifications, &c. 



Euclid 



gome of 



ANTEDILUVIAN REMA INS. 



41 



These most rare and truly venerable relics of a 
world before the flood, present themselves in dig- 
ging *ar below the surface of the ground. They 
occur in the forms of fire-brands, split-wood, ashes, 
coal, tools, and utensils of various kinds, brass rings, 
&c. Immense vessels of pottery of curious work- 
manship and remarkable size, have been discovered 
eighty and ninety feet below the surface. 

67. On the Susquehannah river, a piece of pot- 
tery was found, twelve feet across the top, making 
a circumference of thirty-six feet, and of propor- 
tionable depth and form. No ray of light dawns 
upon this strange remnant of by-gone days, to tell 
us its use. 

In digging a well near Cincinnati, in 1826, the 
stump of a tree was found in a sound state, eighty 
feet below the surface. The blows of the axe were 
still visible, and the remains of the tree were firmly 
rooted in its original position, several feet below the 
bed of the Ohio. Another stump was discovered 
near this place, ninety-four feet below the surface, 
and on its top it appeared as if some iron tool had 
been consumed by rust. 

68. In the section about Fredonia, on the south 

. What 

side of Lake Erie, utensils of various kinds have £ a * d 
been found, split-wood and ashes, from thirty to donia? 8 
"fifty feet below the surface, which is much below 
the bed of Lake Erie. 

Near Williamsburg, in Virginia, about SlXtF -\vhat 
miles from the sea, the whole vertebrae of a whale Ham^ 

burg ? 

and several fragments of the ribs, (fee, were found 
imbedded some feet below the surface. In the 
same region, at depths of from sixty to ninety feet, 



What 

was 

found in 
digging 
near 
Cincin- 
nati 1 



42 



AMERICAN ANTIQ.UITIES. 



have been discovered the teeth of sharks. From 
these and various other curious discoveries, from 
fifty to one hundred feet below the surface, we are 
led to conclude that the original surface of America 
was not much disturbed, but was rather suddenly 
overwhelmed from the west. The vast strata of 
loam, sand, clay, gravel and stone, which lie over 
each other, evince, from the unnatural manner of 
their positions, that they were thrown furiously by 
water over the continent, from the countries of the 
west. 

But if any doubt exists, discoveries like these, at 
this vast depth, and scattered over so wide a region of 
country, cannot belong to any age, or to any of the 
works of man this side the deluge, as time enough 
has not elapsed since that catastrophe to allow the 
decomposition of vegetables, nor of convulsions to 
have buried these articles so deep below the surface. 
But, if any doubt that these remains are antedilu- 
vian, none can be entertained respecting the skele- 
tons of mammoths, and birds whose quills were 
large enough to admit a man's arm into the cali- 
bre, and the claws measuring three feet in length. 

70. The remains of a monster were discovered in 

Describe 

tlonif Louisiana, seventeen feet under ground, the largest 
maf m " bone of which weighed twelve nundred pounds, was 
in Lou- twenty feet long-, and was thought to be the shoul- 

isiana. J # 07 ° 

der-blade or jaw-bone. This immense animal is 
supposed to have been 125 feet in length. Such 
an animal would indeed be, as it is said in Job, of 
the Behemoth, " The chief of the ways of God " in 
the creation. 

71. How dreary — how horrible are our emotions, 



THOUGHTS ON THE PAST. 



when we reflect on the immensity of the destruc 
tion of living beings in the Deluge. An inexpres- 
sible feeling of awe comes over the gayest spirit in 
meditating on these sublime scenes ; but the emo- 
tion is heightened when we think that we are liv- 
ing — we are moving over the crushed and mingled 
remains of antediluvians. 

" All that tread 

The globe are but a handful to the tribes 

That slumber in its bosom." 

72. We, now, are upon the busy stage of life. 
Around us are many proud works of art, reared by 
men of the present day. In our full career of pro- 
gress and of happiness, we can and do rejoice in 
the beauty which this world puts on. The mind 
wanders without an effort in the contemplation of 
present things; but when thoughts of by-gone 
days come over us, sadness comes too ; and the 
mind seems to shrink from a contact with the gay 
and busy world about us. 

73. The memory of other days has ever been 
mournful to the soul ; and this sympathy pervades 
all ages. Speak to childhood of the buried world 
and its mysteries, and the heart-bubbling laugh is 
stilled, and childish hopes forgotten. The hopes 
and aspirations of manhood are for a time relin- 
quished in the overwhelming contemplation. The 
maiden's cheek is blanched as her woman's heart 
prompts thoughts of life, and its never-ceasing 
changes. The aged man, with the accumulated 
wisdom of years, bows his head as he thinks of 
those by-gone days ; and feels by every weakened 

! nerve, that he, too, in turn, must go down to his 



44 



AMERICAN ANTIQ.UITIES. 



resting-place in earth's bosom, and sleep with ' : pa 

triarchs of the infant world." 

Here, too, young reader, thou shalt rest. The 

silver cord will be one day loosed, and the golden 

be wl broken. 

« So live, that, when thy summons comes to join 
The innumerable caravan, that moves 
To that mysterious realm, where each shall take 
His chamber in the silent halls of death ; 
Thou go not like the quarry slave, at night 
Scourged to his dungeon; but, sustain'd and sooth'd 
By an unfaltering trust, approach thy grave 
Like one that draws the drapery of his couch 
About him, and lies down to pleasant dreams." 



fjistarg of t!)c finite^ states. 



A GENERAL OUTLINE OF 

THE INDIAN TRIBES 

EAST OP THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER, 

WITH A DESCRIPTION OP THEIR LANGUAGES, 
MANNERS AND CUSTOMS. 




HE history of the earliest civ- 
^ ilized inhabitants of America said of 

\A the his- 

is shrouded in the mystery of Searfi- 
past aeres. Little record is fSdln-' 

i /• n i habit- 

Mt to us of them, save what ants of 

7 Amen 

is written in the mouldering ca? 
dust of their wondrous works 
of art. The toiling, warring laborers of the mounds 
and forts have passed so far away that even their 
memory is forgotten, and the thick gloom of by- 
gone centuries rests on their origin. It may be 
for years, and it may be forever, before the dark- 
ness can at all be dissipated. 

2. Not so mysterious is the story of the red man. W hatoi 
When our shores were again discovered by Euro- San r at 
peans, the fleet-footed Indian roamed over this ™very . 
almost boundless land, a free man. He stood < n %**eu 



46 



INDIAN HISTORY. 



the ground which was all his own, monarch of un 
discovered realms. Here for hundreds of winters 
his ancestors had dwelt, regardless of the whole 
world except the red man. And when Europeans 
landed on their coasts, they looked with wonder 
and amazement on beings fashioned in human 
form, and still so different in appearance. 
Describe ^. The whites looked with equal wonder at the 
prance painted and tattooed chiefs, adorned with many- 
indians. colored skins and plumes, with the wing of the red 
bird and the beak and plumage of the raven, with 
a collar of the claws of the grisly bear ; their pipes 
glittering w T ith ornaments and adorned with an 
enemy's scalp. There, too, was the bold Indian 
girl, with graceful bearing and lustrous eyes, in 
glittering dress of painted moose and deer skins, 
ornamented with shining shells and the brightest 
feathers of the turkey. 

4. The Indians earliest known to Europeans 
S at f were those of Virginia. When the first effectual 
Sns In " settlement of that colony was made, in 1607, the 
coilnyf surrounding territory for 8,000 square miles was 

occupied by upward of 30 different tribes, forming 
one confederacy, of which Powhattan was the 
sachem or werowance. 

5. The first aspect of the original inhabitants of 
w .*» al i? the United States was uniform. The Indians of 

said of 

Ln C P hy d si" Florida and Canada had a common physiognomy, 
ognomy? a difference was scarcely perceptible in their 
manners and institutions, as well as their organi- 
zation. Before their languages began to be known, 
there was no safe method of grouping the nations 
into families ; but when the great variety of dialects 



INDIAN DIALECTS. 



47 



What is 
said of 
the Al- 
gonquin 
'aner 



came to be compared, there were found to be not how 
more than eight radically distinct languages east distinct 
of the Mississippi. Five of these still constitute the if™?* 
speech of powerful communities ; but the other JSJ^t" 
three are nearly lost with the disappearance of the what is 

.. j. . \ known 

tribes from the earth. of them 

now • 

1. 6. The primitive language which was most 
widely diffused, and the most numerous in dialects, 
received from the French the name of Algonqin. 
It was the native language of those who greeted 
the colonists of Raleigh at Roanoke ; and its strange jg^&m 
tones welcomed the Pilgrims to Plymouth. It was 
spoken — though not exclusively — in a territory that 
extended through 60° of longitude, and more than 
20° of latitude ; so numerous and widely extended 
were the tribes of the Algonquin family. They 
were scattered over a moiety, or perhaps more than 
a moiety, of the territory east of the Mississippi, and 
south of the St. Lawrence, and constituted about 
half the original population of that territory. Here 
were the Micmacs, holding possession of Nova Sco- 
tia and the adjacent isles, and who were only 
known to our fathers as the active allies of the 
French. They often invaded, but never inhabited 
New England. 

7. The Sokokis appear to have dwelt on the Sa- 
co, and had formed an alliance with the Mohawks , the so- 

7 ' kokisi 

but finally placed themselves under the protection 
of the French in Canada. 

The Indian often emigrated, so that the clans what (3 
that disappeared from their ancient hunting-grounds f m the d 
did not always become extinct. They shunned the tions of 

........ the red 

vicinity of civilization, and often migrated far away. mnn} 



What of 
the Mio 
macs ? 



Where 
were 
Pokai 
kets? 

The I 
ragan 
setts ? 

The Pe- 



43 INDIAN HISTORY 

Among the tribes of Texas there are warriors whc 
trace their lineage to the Algonquins, on the At- 
lantic ; and many a proud descendant of the New 
England tribes now roams over the western prairies. 

8. The tribe of the Massachusetts, even before 
the colonization of the country, had almost disap- 
peared from the shores of the Massachusetts bay. 
The Pokanokets dwelt around Mount Hope, and 

Kno h * were sovereigns over Nantucket, Martha's Vine- 

tteL y ard > and a p° rtion of Cape Co(L The Narragan " 

Si*!" setts held dominion over Rhode Island and its 
vicinity, and a part of Long Island, and were the 
most civilized of the northern nations. 

9. The Pequods occupied the eastern part of 
iuodsf Connecticutj an d ruled a part of Long Island. 

Their blood was the first shed in the deadly strug- 
gles between the whites and Indians. They fought 
long and bravely, but were not victorious. 

Where now is seen New York, the proud metrop- 
olis of the West, the bold Manhattans roamed, hap- 
py and secure in their old forests. 
" 10. The Mohawks first greeted Hudson, as he 
Ek 1 ^" explored the noble river which bears his name, for 
their dwelling-place was on its western bank. The 
rude Mohawk worshiped the Great Spirit at sun- 
set, surrounded by every thing that was beautiful 
in nature. 

U. Farther south were the Lenni Lenape, di- 
t vided into the Minsi and the Delawares. occupying 
New Jersey and the valleys of the Delaware and 
iat Schuylkill. The Delawares had been dispossessed 
leJP by the Five Nations, stripped of their rights as war- 
riors, and confined to raising corn, fishing and 



The 
Manhat 
tans i 



Into 



tribes 
were, the 
Lenni 
Lenape 
divided, 
and w hat 



THE SHAWNEES. 



49 



hunting-, for subsistence. In this way, the Indians 
reduced their enemies to the state of women, ac- w£ a the 
cording to their language. Beyond the Delaware bouiS 
were the Nanticokes, who melted imperceptibly Aigou- 
into other tribes. Cape Fear was the southern famlly? 
limit of the Algonquin speech. 

12. The Shawnees connect the south-eastern 
Algonquins with the west. The basin of the said of 
Cumberland river is marked by Kirch eval as the [j**- 
home of this restless nation of wanderers. For 
many years, they wandered undisturbed from the 
Cumberland river to the Alabama, from the Santee 

to the Susquehannah. 

13. The Miamis w r ere more quiet in their wishes, H ow did 
and we can go to their own orators for their tradi- mis «w- 

, fer from 

dons. " My forefather," said the Miami orator, g^ w _ 
Little Turtle, at Greenville. " kindled the first fire ne *" 
at Detroit ; from thence he extended his lines to 
the head-waters of the Sciota ; from thence to its 
mouth ; from thence down the Ohio to the mouth 
of the Wabash ; and from thence to Chicago, on 
Lake Michigan. These are the boundaries within 
which the prints of my ancestors' houses are every- 
where to be seen." The early French narratives 
confirm his words. 

14. The Illinois were kindred to the Miamis, and where 

7 was the 

their country lay between the Wabash, the Ohio, ITfhl 
and the Mississippi. 

15. In the early part of the 18th century-, the what c<" 

.ii ' . - , thePota- 

Potawatomies had crowded the Miamis from their bo- 
nnes r 

dwellings at Chicago; the intruders came from the 
islands near Green Bay, and were a branch of the 
Ohippewas. That nation, or, as some write, the 

4 



50 



INDIAN HISTORY. 



Ojibwas, — the Algonquin tribes, of whose dialect, 
were r the mythology, traditions, and customs we "have the 
Sas PP o e r" fullest accounts, — held the country around Green 
J w 3 Bay and Lake Superior. 

what of 16. South-west of the Menomonies, the roaming 
Sid fox- Sacs and Foxes, the enemies of the French, wan- 
es? dered in pursuit of conquest over the whole country 
Mention between the Wisconsin and the Illinois. These 

the 

the e8 A?- f were some °f tne different tribes speaking the Al- 
IS n gonquin language. 

we^ave II. 17. The next confederacy or family speak- 

noticed? . t-T 

ing a different language were the Sioux or Dahco- 
where f as ^ encamped on the wide prairies east of the 
sloux? Mississippi, wandering between the head-w T aters of 

Lake Superior and the Falls of St. Anthony. 

What is 

said of Their wigwams were discovered by French traders 

the . & . J 

sioux? ln 1659^ and they were visited by Jesuit priests m 
1687, and again in 1689. Between the Dahcotas 
of the and the Chippewas there long existed an hereditary 
2s Ppe " warfare. Like other southern and western tribes, 
their population appears of late to have very much 
increased. 

III. 18. Another of the eight distinct languages 
is the Huron- Iroquois, or, as it is sometimes called, 
the Wyandot. At the time of the discovery of 
America, they were powerful in numbers and scat- 
tered over a wide territory. The peninsula inclos- 
ed between Lakes Huron, Erie, and Ontario had 
been the dwelling-place of the five confederated 
tribes of the Hurons. 

19. They were defeated by the Five Nations, 
and a part of their tribe descended the St. Law- 
rence, and som° of their progeny may still be seen 



What is 
said of 
the Hu- 
ron-Iro- 
luois? 



THE HURON-IROQ.UOIS. 



51 



at duebec ; a part were adopted into the tribes of 
their victors. The Wyandots fled beyond Lake ™ Vy ! 
Superior, having first halted on the shores of the * Xidots - 
noble Huron lake, and afterward near where De- 
troit is now situated. 

20. Thus the Wyandots within our borders are 
emigrants from Canada. By forming treaties with whom 

o J o did the 

the Algonquin tribes, they spread along Lake Erie, Jj^pm 
and gradually acquired a claim to the vast territory tieatie8 f 
from the Miami to the western boundary of New 
York. 

21. The Iroquois or Mingoes, or, as they were what 

sometimes called, the Five Nations, were tribes 

bound together by a league or confederacy. The ffoes 

French called them Iroquois — the English, the times 

Five Nations — and the Connecticut Indians, Mo- Whi?h 

hawks, from the most warlike tribe. Three of confede- 
racy 

the original confederacy consisted of the elder tribes, ™™ A 
called the Senecas, Onondagas, and Mohawks, and tribes 1 ?** 
two were called the younger tribes, viz., the Cayu- which 
gas and Oneidas. younger 

22. The number of their warriors, in 1660, is where 
said by the French to have been 2,200. They in- dweirf 7 
habited the region lying between the borders of 
Vermont and western New York, from the lakes to 

the head- waters of the Ohio, the Susquehannah, 
and the Delaware. Their geographical position 
made them umpires in the contest of the French 
for dominion in the West. They acquired a name what ia 
among the boldest tribes by their conquests, and Silw 
thus increased their political importance. Not Q uoi s? 
only did they claim supremacy in northern New 
England between the Kennebec and the southern 



52 



INDIAN HISTORY, 



border of Connecticut, and styled themselves lords 
over the conquered Lenape — they looked upon the 
peninsula of Upper Canada as their hunting field 
by right of war ; they had exterminated the Eries 
and the Andastes — had triumphantly invaded the 
western tribes as far as Illinois ; their warriors had 
chanted their war-songs in Kentucky and western 
Virginia ; and England, to whose alliance they in- 
clined, availed itself of their treaties for the cession 
of territories, to encroach even on the empire of 
France in America. 
Tibe C aV- 23. The Tuscaroras migrated from North Caro- 
.oined lina, and joined the confederacy. Hence they were 

\,Yi& con* 

federacy, afterward known as the Six Nations. In 1708, 

and what ' 

them d ? of tne Tuscaroras were still powerful, and numbered 
1,200 warriors, as brave as their Mohawk brothers. 

IV. 24. The fourth nation with distinct lan- 
th? atof guage was the Catawbas, dwelling in Carolina, 
SiThdis r ^ ne Catawbas were hated by the warlike Iroquois 
guage?"' tribes, and for successive seasons they followed 

them until they dwindled away and became power- 
less. Their language is now almost extinct, and 
the war song is seldom chanted. The Catawbas 
will soon all be numbered with the departed, for 
scarce a hundred persons can now be found who 
speak the native language. 

V. 25. We next notice the wild, mountain-climb- 
ing Cherokee. Every syllable of his language 

what is ends with a vowel, and the combinations with con- 
said of 

-okee he " sonants are so f ew an d simple, that the " old be- 
fcpsu'ge? loved speech," like the Japanese, admits a syllabic 

alphabet, of which the signs need not exceed 85. 

Recently, Sequoah, an intelligent Cherokee, com- 



CHEROKEES. 



pleted an analysis of the syllables of his language, 
and invented symbols to express them. But, before JS at r6 . 
they were known to Europeans, no red man had ££? 
ever discriminated the sounds, which he uttered : the che- 

» 7 rokee 

in all America there was no alphabet, and know- lan s u » e1 
ledge was only conveyed to the eye by rude sym- 
bols and imitations. 

26. The Cherokees dwelt chiefly on the head- ^-here 
waters of the Savannah, Chattahoochee, and Ala- c'hero- 9 

kees 

bama rivers, and the branches of the Tennessee dweUl 
and Cumberland, a tract of about 24.000 square 
miles. Bancroft, in his graphic and beautiful lan- 
guage, speaks of this region as the most pic- 
turesque and salubrious east of the Mississippi. He Describe 
says the homes of the Cherokees were encircled by £?™ «n- 
blue hills rising beyond hills, of which the lofty keel* 
peaks would kindle with the early light, and the 
overshadowing ridges envelop the valleys like a 
mass of clouds. There the rocky cliffs, rising in 
naked grandeur, defy the lightning, and mock the 
loudest peals of the thunder storm ; there the 
gentler slopes are covered with magnolias and 
flowering forest trees, decorated with roving climb- 
ers, and ring with the perpetual note of the whip- 
poor-will ; there the wholesome water gushes pro- 
fusely from the earth in transparent springs ; 
snow-white cascades glitter on the hill-sides ; and 
the rivers, shallow, but pleasant to the eye, rush 
through the narrow vales, which the abundant 
strawberry crimsons, and coppices of rhododendron 
and naming azalea adorn. 

27. At the fall of the leaf, the fruit of the hick- 
ory and the chestnut is thickly strewn on the 



54 



INDIAN HISTORY. 



ground. The fertile soil teems with luxuriant 
herbage, on which the roebuck fattens ; the vivify- 
ing breeze is laden with fragrance ; and daybreak 
is ever welcomed by the shrill cries of the social 
night-hawk and the liquid carols of the mocking 
bird. Here, too, were running waters, inviting to 
the bath, tempting the angler, alluring wild fowl — 
for the Cherokee towns were always upon some of 
their much-loved rivers. 

28. The " beloved " people of the Cherokees were 
a nation by themselves. Who can say for how 
many centuries, safe in their undiscovered fast- 
nesses, they had decked their war-chiefs with the fea- 
thers of the eagle's tail, and listened to the counsels 
of their aged warriors ? We must look to the 
white man for the sad story of the ruin of the 
Cherokees. In the history of the United States we 
find a mournful account of pleasant places laid 
waste, and the mingled bones of brave warriors, 
with their squaws and young maidens, bleaching 
together with those of the cunning and usurping 
white man's, all over their sunny vales. 

VI. 29. South-east of the Cherokees dwelt the 
said of Uchees, boasting to have been the oldest inhabi- 
uohees? tants of that region. They now constitute an 

inconsiderable band in the Creek confederacy, and 
are known as a distinct family only by their singu- 
larly harsh and guttural language. 

VII. 30. The Natchez are also now united in 
what of the same confederacy ; but they, with the Taensas, 
Chez? were known to history as a distinct nation near the 

banks of the Mississippi. It has been supposed by 
travelers, Dumont, Du Pratz, and others, that then 



MOBILLAN FAMILY. 



55 



language was a dialect of the Mobilian ; but by f their 
the persevering curiosity of Gallatin, it is at last lansu ~ e ' 
known that their language, as far as compari- 
sons have been instituted, has no etymological 
affinity with any other. 

Till. 31. With the exception of the lichees and AV - hat of 
the Natchez, the whole country south-east, south, {Si e of 
and west of the Cherokees, to the Atlantic and biiian 

" family I 

the Gulf of Mexico, to the Mississippi and the con- 
fluence of the Tennessee and the Ohio, was in the 
possession of one great family of nations, of which 
the language was named by the French the Mobi- 
liax. and is described by Gallatin as the Musk* 
hogee-chocta. It included three larffe confeder- wnat 

° lars-e 

acies (Chickasaws, Choctaws. and Creeks), still 
existing, and perhaps, even with an increase of u^tkm 
numbers. 

32. The country bounded by the Ohio on the 
north, by the Mississippi on the west, on the east by 
a line from the bend in the Cumberland river to 
the Muscle Shoals of the Tennessee, and extending 
south into the territory of the State of Mississippi, 
was the land of the cheerful, brave Chickasaws, Ions' Describe 

the 

to be remembered as the invincible allies of the country 

ot the 

English. Around their wigwams the grass was ver- Jjjsff 
dant in midwinter : the bine bird and robin are 
heard in February : the springs of pure water gur- 
gle up through the white sands, to flow through 
natural bowers of evergreen and holly ; and if the 
earth be but carelessly opened to receive the ker- 
nel of maize, the thi:k corn springs abundantly 
from the fertile soil. The region is as happy 
as any beneath the sun; and the love which 



56 



INDIAN HISTORY. 



it inspired made its occupants, though not numer- 
ous, yet the most intrepid warriors of the south, 
of the 33. The country of the Choctaws was below the 
Chickasaws, between the Tombigbee and Mississippi 



Choc- 
taws? 



rivers. Dwelling in plains or among gentle hills, 
they excelled every North American tribe in their 
said of agriculture, subsisting chiefly on corn, and placing 
JJJJ^ little dependence on the chase. Their warriors 
were over 4,000 in number, and their love for their 
sunny hills was so intense, that in defending theii 
homes they utterly contemned all danger, 
what of 34. In Georgia, extending into Alabama, were 
creeks? the Creeks or Muskhogees. They were divided 
into Upper and Lower Creeks, a part of which are 
called Seminoles, inhabiting Florida. The term 
Seminole means "wild man," and was applied to 
all the vagrants of the nation, who abandoned 
agriculture for the chase. This country abounded 
in beautiful creeks and bold rivers, descending 
with a clear current through a fertile region. They 
were careful in agriculture, and before going to 
war. assisted their women to plant 
what is 35. The Chickasaws, Choctaws, and Cherokees 
the are all considerably advanced in civilization. In 

Chicka- _ J 

this respect, they evidently form an exception to the 
Ind'che- Indian race, who, generally speaking, flee from 
n v-uiza f c ^ v i nzec ^ society, and relinquish their possessions 
- )on? rather than their wild independence. The earliest 
European accounts of these people, which are con- 
tained in the history of the expedition of Ferdi- 
nand de Soto, show them to have been more civil- 
ized than any other tribes of the United States. 
The Cherokees have an impression, that they be- 



INDIAN LANGUAGES. 



57 



ong to a superior stock ; and some of our ablest 
antiquarians suppose that they migrated from Ma- 
lacca, Southern Asia. 

36. Such is a synopsis of the American nations 
east of the Mississippi. Very great uncertainty 
must attend any estimate of the original number 

of Indians east of the Mississippi and south of the what is 
St. Lawrence and the lakes. The diminution of of m the 

number 

their population is far less than is usually suppos- oj^j 1 - 
ed ; they have been exiled, but not exterminated. Sing?* 
The Cherokee and Mobilian family are more nu- 
merous now than ever. 

37. Terrible epidemics have raged among them, 
and thousands have fallen in war ; but amid their 
keenest sufferings, they disdain to manifest their 
agony by a cry or groan, and even in the death- 
struggle triumphantly sing their death-song. 

38. The study of the structure of the various „ c 

J Of what 

dialects of the red men sheds light on the inquiry 
into their condition. Languages do not lie, says ous In- 
Horne Tooke. They reveal what time has buried lects? 
in oblivion. 

A late German writer, Prof. Vater, has publish- whaf of 
ed, at Leipzig, a book on the population of Ameri- £3j Va ~ 
ca. He lays great stress upon the tongues spoken book? 
by the aborigines, and dwells considerably on the 
unity pervading the whole of them, from Chili 
to the remotest district of North America. The 
work has been continued by Adelung and Vater 
in their Mithridates, which surpasses all similar 
performances that have evei been achieved by man. 
They give an extensive comparison of all the 
Asiatic, African, and American lan^ua^es. 



58 



INDIAN HISTORY. 



wha is 39. No American language bears marks of being 
ed m o?" an arbitrary aggregation of separate parts ; but 
Ameri each is possessed of an entire organization, having 
guage? unity of character, and controlled by exact rules. 
Each appears as a perfect whole, not as a slow for- 
mation, springing directly from the powers of man 
by painful processes of invention ; each dialect is 
not only free from confusion, but is almost abso- 
lutely free from irregularities, and is pervaded and 
governed by undeviating laws. Each American 
language was competent of itself, without improve- 
ment from scholars, to exemplify every rule of the 
logician, and give utterance to every passion. A 
tribe has no more been found without an organized 
language than without eyesight or memory. The 
savage had, indeed, never attempted the analysis 
of the primitive sounds ; but the analogies are so 
close, that they may all be expressed by the alpha 
bet of European use. 
what is ^ e tl ^ Des vai T m their capacity or their 

said of cus tom of expressing sounds. Of the several dia- 
of un the lects of the Iroquois, that of the Oneidas is the 
ia a " oua softest, being - the only one that admits the letter 
I (L) ; that of the Senecas is the most rude and 
energetic. The Algonquin dialects, especially those 
of the Abenakis, heap up consonants with prodigal 
harshness ; the Iroquois abound in a concurrence 
of vowels. The Algonquins have no f ; the whole 
Iroquois family never use the semi-vowel m, and 
want the labials entirely. 
How 41. Their style was adorned with noble meta- 
Se lheir phors, and glowed with allegory. They spoke of 
prosperity as a bright sun or a serene and cloudless 



INDIAN LANGUAGES. 



59 



sky ; to establish peace is to bury the tomahawk 
or plant the forest tree ; to offer presents as conso- 
lation to mourners, is to cover the grave of the 
departed. 

42. The great peculiarity of the American ^ ^ 
speech is the absence of all logical analysis of ^great 
ideas, and the synthetic character pervading them "„dkn he 
all. The American does not separate the compo- guage? 
nent parts of the proposition which he utters. His 
thoughts rush forth in a troop, for the picture is 
presented at once and altogether. This synthetic 
character is apparent in the attempt to express, in 

the simplest manner, the name of any thing. The 
Algonquin and the Iroquois could not say father ; 
they must use a more definite expression. The 
noun, adjective, and pronoun are blended into one 
word. 

The Indian never kneels ; so, when Eliot trans- 
lated kneeling, the word which he was com- 
pelled to form filled a line, and numbered eleven 
syllables. 

43. In investigating these and other languages, 

, ■ c i, mi What of 

two momentous conclusions follow. 1 he gram- the 

° gram- 
matical forms, which constitute the organization of Sf' 

a language, are not the work of civilization, but of 

b ° T . . , . ' tute the 

nature. It is not writers, nor arbitrary conven- prgamza- 
tions, that give laws to language; the forms of g™^, 
grammar, the powers of combinations, the possi- 
bility of inversions, spring from within us, and are 
a consequence of our own organization. 

44. The study of these rudest dialects tends to proved 

J t by the 

show, if it does not conclusively prove, that it was gjdy of 
not man who made language ; but He who made uS^ 18 



60 



INDIAN HISTORY. 



man gave him utterance. From the ice-bound 
Zid 'of 3 i" e gi° ns of the Esquimaux in the north, to the 
tffent 11 " Straits of Magellan on the south, the primitive 
guages? American languages, entirely differing in their 
roots, have, with slight exceptions, a similar physi- 
ognomy, resembling each other in their internal 
mechanism. 

45. In the Esquimaux, there is an immense 

Vi hat co- 1 ' 

dence re- number of forms derived from the regimen of pro- 
different nouns. The same is true of the Basque language, 
guages? in Spain, and of the Congo, in Africa. Here is a 
most wonderful coincidence ; and as it pervades 
languages of different *%ces, dwelling on different 
continents, it must be the result of law. 
what 46. Another and more certain conclusion is this, 
conciu- that the ancestors of our tribes were rude like 
drawn themselves — not yet disenthralled from nature. 

from the J 

B (nd1an° f The character of each Indian language being one 
maiects? uniyerga^ all-pervading synthesis, proves them to 

have been still in the earliest stage of intellectual 

culture. 

how do ^ ' ^ ar ano - nuntm g" are tne principal employ- 
dianSen m ents of the men. The young Indian travels the 
fhem oy war-path frequently, that he may encounter an 
seves? enemy; and at the great war-dance and feast of 
his tribe, he will boast of his exploits, and exhibit 
the shining marks of vermillion on his skin as 
records of his wounds. 
how the 48. The Indian woman leads a toilsome life. 
Patiently she plants the maize, the beans, and run- 
ning vines, with the rude wooden mattock and 
shell; her hands draw out the weeds, and in due 
season ather the harvest. She brings home thrt 



Iniiia'i 
women ? 



INDIAN EMPLOYMENTS. 



61 



game which her husband has killed — she bears tue 
wood and draws the water ; and if the men pre- 
pare the poles for the wigwam, it is the woman 
who builds it, and in their toilsome journeyings she 
bears it on her shoulders. 

49. In the language f our Indians is no word n<™ do 

- ii. -il o the Indi 

tor year, and they reckon time bv the return oi ^ 

9 ' J J ou ume 'i 

snow or the springing of flowers, and the flight of 
the birds announces the progress of seasons. 

The motion of the sun marks the hour of the 
day, and these distinctions of time are not noted 
in numbers, but in words that breathe the grace 
and poetry of nature. 

50. They kept no herds, but depended for food ^ ^ 
on the chase, fisheries, and agriculture ; and, un- [jjjg pro * 
like the people of the Old World, they were at Sod? 
once hunters and tillers of the ground. Water 

was the only drink of the noble red man, until 
after his acquaintance with Europeans. 

51. The government of the Indians is a patri- what ls 
archal confederacy. Every town or family has a SI? gov- 
chief. called a sachem. Several towns compose a of the 

_ 1 Indians) 

tribe, of which one of their number is the head. 
The several tribes composing a nation have also a 
chief, who directs the whole. These rulers are 
chosen on the opinion which their fellow-warriors 
have of their wisdom and integrity. 

52. Prohibitory laws were hardly sanctioned by 
savage opinion, for the wild man hates'- restraint, 
and loves to do what is right in his own eves, the in 

° ^ dian feel 

Arrests and prisons, lawyers and sheriffs were Sfij* 
unknown. Each man was his own protector, and 
in case of death by violence, the kindred of the 



* 



52 



INI IAN HISTORY. 



deceased would go a thousand miles for the pur- 
pose of revenge, over hills and mountains, through 
large cane swamps full of vines and briars, over 
broad lakes, rapid rivers, and deep creeks t all the , 
way endangered by poisonous snakes — exposed to] 
the extremities of heat and cold, to hunger and 
thirst. Peace was restored by atoning presents, if 
they were enough to cover the grave of the de- 
parted. 

They hold the bonds of brotherhood so dear, 
that a brother commonly pays the debt of the 
deceased, and assumes his revenge and perils. 
how did 53. The record of their treaties was kept by 
cSl re " strings of wampum ; and when the envoy of na- 
jeaties, tions met in solemn council, gift replied to gift, and 
belt to belt. 

what of That the words of friendship might be trans- 
peace- mitted safely through the wilderness, the red men 
pipe ' revered the peace-pipe. With this mysterious pipe, 

the person of the traveler was safe and welcome to 

all wigwams. 

what did 54. War alone was the avenue to glory ; all 
an think other emplovments seemed unworthy of human 

of war? r J . . . J 

dignity. Any one who, on chanting a war-song, 
could obtain volunteer followers, became a war- 
chief. Solemn fasts and religious rites precede the 
) departure of the warriors. A belt painted red, or 
a bundle of bloody sticks sent to the enemy, is a 
declaration of defiance. 

55. As the war-party leaves the village, a fare- 
well hymn is chanted to the women : " Do not 
weep for me, loved woman, should I die ; weep for 
yourself alone. I go to revenge our fallen rela- 



INDIAN RELIGION. 



63 



tions ; our foes shall lie like them ; I go to lay 
them low." 

56. Captives were sometimes saved and incor- How 
porated in the families of the tribes. In such cases Svea 
they forever left their former hunting-grounds and times 

J . treated? 

all that they held dear. Sometimes they were 
adopted in the place of a slain warrior, and espous- 
ed all the interests and retaliated all the wrongs. 
More commonly it was the captive's lot to suffer 
torments and death. His fingers were crushed and 
torn off, the joints of his arms scorched and 
gashed, while he himself tranquilly sang the songs 
of his nation, or said to the crowd of guests at the 
festival, " My brothers, I am going to die. Make 
merry around me with good heart. I am a man. 
I neither fear death nor your torments." He then 
dances around the cabin, chanting his death-song. 
The most horrid torments last until after sunrise, 
when the wretched victim, bruised, gashed, half 
roasted, and scalped, is hacked in pieces ! 

57. The religion of the Indian was of the rudest what is 

° > t said of 

kind. They worship both a good and an evil ^ n Tel ^ 
spirit — one to secure favor, the other to deprecate diansV" 
his vengeance. 

Their heaven is in the sweet south-west, where a 
balmy wind ever blows, and the sky is without a 
darkening cloud — where the forests are stocked 
with game and the rivers with fish. There the 
aged warrior will never experience fatigue, or hun- 
ger, or thirst, and care will never come. 

58. The Indian saw a divinity in every thing — 
in the mountain cliff, in the cheering fire, in the 
blades of grass — the woods, wilds, and running 



64 



INDIAN HISTORY. 



streams, the stars and the sun — in the blue ocean, 
in bird, and bee, and blossom ; wherever there was 
motion, being, or action, there, to him, was a spirit ; 
his own beating heart and throbbing pulse spoke to 
him of a divinity. The Indian was ever firm to 
his faith ; infidelity never clouded his mind — the 
gloomy shadows of scepticism were unknown to him. 
what is Prayers* are daily offered to avert the wrath 

thet su- and to secure the favor of their divinity. That 
fionsV man should deny himself — that sin should be aton- 
ed for. are ideas that dwell in human nature. 
They were so diffused among the savages, that Le 
Clerc believed some of the apostles must have 
reached the American continent. 

60. The savage puts faith in divination. He 
casts lots, and believes Nature will be obedient to the 
decision ; he puts his trust in the sagacity of the 
sorcerer, and believes the medicine man can cure 
all his diseases. 

61. While yet alive, the dying chief sometimes 
arrayed himself in the garments in which he was 
to be buried, and, giving a farewell festival, calmly 
chanted his last song, or made a last harangue, 
glorying in the remembrance of his brave deeds, 
and commending his surviving loved ones to his 

in wiat friends; and when he had given up the ghost, he 
were 1 ' 6 was buried in a sitting posture, as if to show that, 
bu^ed? though life was spent, the principle of being was 
not gone. Everywhere in America this posture 
was adopted at burials. From Canada to Pata- 
gonia, it would seem as though some common sym- 
pathy pervaded the continent, and struck a chard 
which vibrated through the heart of a race. 



INDIAN CIVILIZATION. 



65 



62. Much has been done by the benevolent to 
ameliorate the condition ol the Indian. Jesuits, JJJJjJ at 
Franciscans, Puritans, Moravians, &c, all have Soi e e n <i 
smcerely endeavored to convert them, and win orate 
them to the regular habits of civilized life. The g£jf 
Jesuit, Stephen de Carheil, revered for his talents 

and zeal, was for more than sixty years a mission- 
ary among the Huron-Iroquois tribes. He spoke 
their dialects as though they had been his mother- 
tongue ; yet he saw little to encourage him. 

63. Elliot, the beloved and self-denying apostle, What 
whose benevolence amounted nearly to the inspi- ^ ia of 
ration of genius, often almost despaired. He sue- EWot? of 
ceeded, after years of toil, in forming an Indian 
grammar, and translating the whole Bible into the 
Massachusetts dialect. He taught the women to 
spin, the men to dig the ground, and established 

for them simple forms of government. His zeal 
never tired, and the simplicity of his life, and inva- 
riably amiable temper, won for him many an honest 
heart. 

64. There, too, was the heavenly-minded Ma- 
hew, devoting his splendid talents to win the untu- sai 
tored savage. With many expressions of gratitude 
and love he left them, and took passage for Eng- 
land, hoping to awaken some interest there. They 
never looked upon his much-loved form again, and 
tidings never reached them of the ship in which 
he sailed. But such was the force of the god-like 
example of the son, that his father, bowed down 
with the weight of seventy years, resolved on 
assuming the toils and duties of the son, and at 
the age of fourscore and twelve was still zealously 

5 



What is 
said of 
Mahew? 



66 



INDIAN HISTORY. 



engaged. The happiest results followed these 
labors ; but no one could essentially change the 
manners and habits of the tribes. 

65. Within the century and a half during which 

What J *=> 

Sente ve ' tne Cherokees have been acquainted with Euro- 
che e ro- he peans, they have learned the use of the plough and 
made? the axe, of herds and flocks, of the printing press 
and water mills ; they have gained a mastery ovei 
the fields, and taught the streams to run for their 
benefit. 

66. Whence came the red man 1 was the frequent 
and anxious inquiry that followed the discovery of 
America. 

what Several tribes of the present southern Indians 



tiona have traditions that they came from the east or 
Indians through the Atlantic ocean. Rafnnesque says it is 

respect- ° . 

orf g in h i eir important to distinguish the American nations of 
eastern origin from those of the northern, who, he 
says, were invaders from Tartary, and were as dif- 
ferent in their manners as were the Romans and 
Vandals. 

what 67. Di\ Mitchell, after much research, concluded 

.said Dr. „ ' • ' 

Mitchell? that Asia and America were peopled by similar 
races of men — that America as well as Asia had 
its Tartars on the north, and its Malays on the 
south. 

in what The American and Mongolian races of men on 

do the .Jf 

1ik1 '^, s 1q the two sides of the Pacific have a near resem- 
Sum *" blance. The skulls are so nearly alike, that a 



careful observer could not distinguish one from the 
other. 

68. The dwellers on the Aleutian isles resemble 
the inhabitants of each continent ; and as the 



FATE OF THE INDIANS. 



6" 



adventurous Ledyard stood in Siberia, wii.i men what did 
of the Mons: olian race before him, and compared remark 

° ' ' ■ ' * 'on this 

them with the Indians who had been his com- sui '-> ect ' 
nanions and school-mates at Dartmouth, he writes 
deliberately that, " universally and circumstan- 
tially, they resemble the aborigines of America." 
On the Connecticut and the Obi, he saw but one 
race. 

69. He that describes the Tungusians of Asia, 
seems also to describe the North American. That 
the Tschukchi of North-eastern Asia and the Esqui- 
maux of America are of the same origin, is proved 
by the affinity of their languages, thus establishing 
a connection between the continents, previous to 
the discovery of America by Europeans. 

The indigenous population of America offers no what is 
new obstacle to faith in th^ anity of the human S'ard"t« 

the bear- 
ing of' 
this affin- 
ity on the 
unity of 

term antiquity paramount to all records now in ™" 
existence. 

70. A melancholy interest surrounds the fate of What ig 
the red man. Once, sole lords of a rich and almost S^Sm^ 
boundless country, they have been crowded farther of^the 
and farther from their sunny hunting-grounds — 
farther from the noble rivers they so much loved, 

and the blue Atlantic, upon whose waves they 
thought many a good spirit dwelt. 

Some of them, overwhelmed with misfortunes, 
calmly submitted to their fate, and after the last 
struggle over the graves of their nation and kin- 
dred (a spot venerated by the red man), they de- 
parted never to return. Others fought long and 



race, agreeable to the plain statement of the Bible 
on that subject, which is a book entitled to the 



INDIAN HISTORY. 



bravely, and chose rather to die within sight of the 
soil they once owned and upon the graves of their 
warriors. "By and by," says one who mourns 
their hapless fate, " they will have passed the 
Rocky Mountains, and in a few centuries scarcely 
a remnant will be seen, unless along the beach of 
the Pacific, the utmost boundary to which they 
can flee ; where, as they gaze upon the illimitable 
expanse, and turn back to the country of their 
ancestors, they will mingle with the resounding 
surge the death-song of departed nations." 



HISTORY 

OF THE 

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 



DIVISION OF THE HISTORY, 
BY EPOCHS, 

IN THREE PARTS. 



PART I. 

COMPRISES THE EVENTS WHICH OCCURRED FROM THE 
DISCOVERY OF AMERICA BY COLUMBUS, TO THE DECLARA 
TION OF INDEPENDENCE, IN 1776, 
EXTENDING 284 YEARS. 



PART II. 

COMPRISES THE EVENTS WHICH OCCURRED FROM THE 
DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE TO THE COMMENCEMENT 
OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, IN 1789, 
EXTENDING 13 YEARS. 



PART III. 

COMPRISES THE EVENTS WHICH OCCURRED FROM THE 
COMMENCEMENT OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO THIS 
BEGINNING OF THE SOUTHERN REBELLION IN 1861. 

EXTENDING 73 YEARS. 



DEATH OF KING PHILIP. 



PART I., 

EXTENDING 284 YEARS FROM THE DISCOVERY 

OF AMERICA IN 1492, TO THE DECLARA- 
TION OF INDEPENDENCE IN 1776. 

CHAPTER I. 

HE voyages and discoveries of 
Christopher Columbus opened 
a new and brilliant era in the 
history of the world, and ex- 
cited the admiration of all the 
nations of Europe. The raon- 
archs, who had derided his 
undertaking, when h@ presented himself before 




What 
spirit fIJii 
the dis- 
covery <il 
Colum- 
bus ex- 
cite in 
Europe; 'I 



72 



EARLY DISCOVERIES. 



Part I. 



1492 them, in poverty, to beg their assistance, now saw, 
in the newly-discovered wilds of the Western 

what did World, which the genius of Columbus had laid 

ferent 1 open to their view, a golden prize, a share of which 

these" tne y eagerly attempted to secure. 

discover- Columbus was born at Genoa, in the year 
1447, and early manifested a strong partiality for 

when tne different sciences, but more particularly for that 

■where of mathematics. Blessed with a vivid imasrina- 

was Co- . .'it i • /. • 

t^mbus tion, with ardent courage and great piety, oi untir- 
ing energy and perseverance, he seemed raised up 
by Providence for the great work in which he 
Sd at of engaged, and in which his success excelled even 
history? 7 his wildest dreams, or the most gorgeous pictures 
of his glowing and vivid imagination. 

3. The mariner's compass had already been dis- 
what covered, and with this sure guide and trusty com- 
coium ad panion, the voyager boldly launched out into 
embra- ^ unknown seas. Columbus earlv embraced the 

ced? . . 

idea, entertained by few, of the rotundity of the 
earth ; hence he believed that the Indies and a 
vast amount of undiscovered land might be reach- 
ed by sailing west. Strongly impressed with the 
truth of this idea, and knowing that such discov- 
eries would be of incalculable benefit to the 
whom nation which made them, he explained his views 
successively to John II. of Portugal, Henry VII. of 
England, and to Ferdinand and Isabella, king and 
queen of Spain, beseeching them to aid him in the 
with prosecution of his great enterprise ; but they, 
success? ignorant and short-sighted, and believing him to 
be a wild adventurer, refused their assistance. 

4. He had already wasted seven years of his 



did he 
explain 
his 

views? 



Chap. I. 



DEATH OF COLUMBUS. 



73 



Who at 

t be- 
came his 



life in a fruitless struggle to obtain his wish. His i£i>2 
suit had been twice rejected by the court of Spain, 
when he was summoned by Isabella to appear 
before her. This amiable queen interested herself 
so strongly in his behalf, that, finding it impossible b» 
to take the money from a treasury which had been friend 
impoverished by a long war, she offered to pledge 
her private jewels, to obtain the means to fit out What 
the expedition and defray the expenses of the Hi^of- 

i'ertodo? 

voyage. 

5. The necessary funds were accordingly ad- 
vanced, and on the 3d of August, 1492, Colum- when 
bus, with three small vessels, set sail from Palos, ] ^ e u ^ ia 
on his voyage of discovery. After having encoun- JlV oy " 
tered innumerable hardships, controlled his muti- 
nous crew, and sailed thousands of miles over an Oot . 2 i, 
unknown ocean, on the 12th of October, 1492, thestyL 
joyful shout of "land, land" rung from ship to S at ©f 
6hip, and soon after his feet" trod the soil of the ih'scov- 1 
!New World. Throwing himself upon his knees, ery 
and kissing the ground, he unfurled the banner of 
Spain, and taking possession of the soil in the 
name of his royal mistress, called it "San Sal- 
vador." 

6. He subsequently made three other voyages, what of 
during the years of 1493, 1498, and 1502, in which voyages? 
he discovered many of the West India and Carib- 
bean isles, and a considerable portion of the shores 

of the Gulf of Mexico. On returning from his whilt of 
last voyage, finding Isabella, his patroness, dead, fn^hla 
°ind his claims disregarded, he gradually sunk tory 
beneath his sufferings, and died on the 20th of 
May, 1506, in the 59th year of his age. His last 



74 



EARLY DISCOVERIES. 



Pail 1 



1497 words were, "Into thy hands, O Lord, I commend 
my spirit." His body was deposited in the convent 
of St. Francisco, but afterward was conveyed, with 
the remains of his son Diego, to Hispaniola, and 
here ag?in disinterred and removed to Havana, in 
the island of Cuba, where it now reposes. 
. 7. Near the close of his life he was misrepre 
sented and persecuted. The honors due to him 
when living, have been freely awarded to him ny 
succeeding generations. In his career, we perceive 
what perseverance and untiring energy, aided by a 
firmness of purpose, can accomplish. During his 
whole life he was surrounded with difficulties and 
dangers ; yet, instead of shrinking before their 
magnitude, he pressed eagerly on, surmounted 
them all, and placed his name, surrounded with 
glory, upon the brightest page of history. 

what 8. The magnificent achievement of Columbus 

was now ° 

o'Hne 1 revealing the wonderful truth, 'of which the germs 
prJe of may have existed in the imagination of every 
b^? m thoughtful mariner, won the admiration which 
was due to an enterprise that seemed more divine 
than human, and kindled, in the breast of the emu- 
lous, a vehement desire to gain as signal renown in 
the same career of daring. 
Give an 9. John Cabot, a Venetian merchant, residing at 
of ihe Bristol, England, with his son, Sebastian Cabot, 

discover- n 1 ' 

cabot? 6 Dotn men °f g l ' eat learning, obtained a patent from 
Henry VII., "the most ancient American state 
paper of England," authorizing them to plant the 
flag of England upon any soil hitherto unseen by 
Christian people. They sailed from England in 
May, 1497. and in June discovered the American 



Chap. 1. 



ALONZO DE OJEDA. 



75 



continent in the latitude of fifty-six degrees, among 1497. 
the rude savages and the dismal cliffs of Labrador. 
This discovery was made fourteen months before 
Columbus, on his third voyage, came in sight of 
the main-land, and nearly two years before Ameri- 
go Yespucci sailed west of the Canaries. Shortly 
after their return, another voyage was planned by 
Sebastian Cabot. With three hundred men, he 
sailed for Labrador, by the way of Iceland, which 
he reached in latitude 58° ; but owing to the 
severity of the weather, he turned his course south, 
and proceeded along the shores of the United States 
to the southern boundary of Maryland. 

10, In 1499, Alonzo de Ojeda, a companion of Whatot 
Columbus in his first expedition, sailing under the Series 
patronage of several Portugese merchants, dis- deoS? 
covered the continent at Paria. Americus Vespu 

cius, a Florentine gentleman, accompanied him, 
and on his return published such an account of 
his voyage, as to lead to the belief that he was the 
i first discoverer. The honor of giving a name to 
the continent, which should have been given to 
Columbus, was accordingly bestowed on him. 

11. In the year 1501, a vessel, under the com- 

t mand of Caspar Contereal, was fitted out by the account" 

1 7 •'of the 

king of Portugal, and sent on a voyage of discov- Jfggj^ 
ery to the New World. He proceeded to North S? 6 " 
America, and sailed along the coast for six or seven < 
hundred miles, admiring the freshness of the ver- 
dure and the density of the stately forests. After 
Having freighted his ship with more than fifty Indi- 
ans, he returned to Portugal and sold them as 
slaves. 



76 



EARLY DISCO YERIKS. 



I arr i 



152 4 12. The French king, Francis L, in 1523, sent 
out John Yerazzani, a Florentine, who reached the 
of John continen f in the latitude of Wilmington, North 

Yeraaza- t ' 

^ Carolina. His crew were filled with admiration at 
the tawny color of the Indians, their ornaments, 
and garlands of feathers. As they proceeded far- 
ther north, the groves, redolent with fragrance, 
spread their perfumes far from the shore, and gave 
promise of the spices of the east. They anchored 
in the harbor of Newport for fifteen days, and from 
thence sailed along the coast of New England to 
Nova Scotia, when they returned to France. 

what 13. In 1534, James Cartier, under a commission 

discover- 

jamS from the king of France, sailed to America, visited 
S£Y the island of Newfoundland, discovered the Gulf 
of St. Lawrence and the great river of Canada. 
On his second voyage, in the following year, he 
sailed up the river as far as the Isle of Orleans. 
Here, leaving his ship, he proceeded in an open 
boat until he reached an Indian village, near the 
site of which now stands the city of Montreal. At 
the Isle of Orleans he spent the winter, which was 
rendered frightful by the intense cold and the rava- 
ges of the scurvy. In 1540, Cartier again returned 
to Canada, for the purpose of planting a settle- 
To ment, but was unsuccessful. The king of France 
wafth.s afterward granted to De Monts the territory from 
temtory -^ ew j erse y t0 ]\ ova Scotia. In virtue of this 
granted ? grant, in 1604 he commenced the settlement of 
Port Royal, on the south-eastern side of the Bay j 
of Fundy; and in 1608, his agent, Samuel Cham- 
plain, laid the foundation of Quebec. 

14. In 1512, Juan Ponce de Leon, a fellow voy 



Chap. i. PONCE DE LEON. 77 

ager of Columbus in his first expedition, sailed 1512. 
from Porto Rico with three ships, which he had 
fitted out at his own expense, and in about a month wrt & t 
discovered Florida, and landed upon the coast a ery did 
short distance above St. Augustine. In Spain he 
had heard a tale, which was there credited by those 
distinguished for virtue and intelligence, of a foun- 
tain which possessed virtues to renovate the life of 
those who should bathe in its streams, or give a 
perpetuity of youth to the happy man who should 
drink of its ever-flowing waters. 

15. This elixir of life was to flow from a per- 
petual fountain in the New World, in the midst of 

1 ' For what 

a country glittering with gems and gold. To dis- ggp^g 
cover this fountain, De Leon, whose cheeks had com" to 
been furrowed by hard service, made this voyage ; world?" 
but, although he sought for it long and earnestly, 
he was compelled to return without having drunk 
of its youth -renewing waters. 

16. In 1520, a company of seven, at the head 

of whom was Lucas Vasquez de Allyon, fitted out object^ ' 
two slave ships from St. Domingo, in quest of JJJ^j 
laborers for their plantations. From the Bahama vessels! 
islands they passed to the coast -of South Carolina, 
invited the natives to visit the ships, and when a 
number had crowded upon the decks, at a given 
signal they weighed anchor, and set sail for St. 
Domingo. Husbands were torn from their wives, 
and children from their parents ; but the crime was 
finally avenged, for one of the ships foundered at 
sea, and the guilty and guiltless perished together. 
Vasquez again sailed to the coast, with the royal 
permission to conquer the country; but his men 



What 
success 
had he r 



78 



EARLY DISCOVERIES. 



Fart I. 



1526 were slaughtered by the enraged natives, and he 
returned to his home to die of wounded pride. 

17. Pamphilio de Narvaez attempted, at a later 
De h Na? day, to conquer Florida ; but of three hundred men 
vaez ' who landed with him on the coast, only five return- 
what of ed. Ferdinand de Soto, the favorite companion of 

Pizarro in his conquest of Peru, believing Florida 
to be a land full of gold and diamonds, and unin- 
timidated at the fate of Narvaez, determined to 
make the conquest at his own expense. No sooner 
were his intentions known, than hundreds of the 
nobles of Castile flocked to his standard. Six hun- 
dred men, in the prime of life, in the glittering 
array of polished armor, with brilliant hopes, sailed 
with him for the land of promise. 

18. In 1539, he landed in the Bay of Spiritu 
Santo, in Florida. Fearing that his men might 
wish to return, he sent his ships back to Cuba, and 

what of marched boldly forward into the wilderness. Gold 

the ad- J 

and tu fu s was tne °hject of his search, and for that he pene- 
tory if 3 " trated the country hundreds of miles, in every 
' direction, entered Georgia and Carolina, crossed 
the Alleghanies, fought a bloody battle with the 
Indians at Mobile, and another with the Chicka- 
saws, in which all their clothes were destroyed, and 
they compelled to clothe themselves in the skins of 
beasts. 

19. When, at length, they reached the Missis- 
sippi, the spirit of their leader was broken down by 
their long journey. Attacked by a malignant 
fever, and feeling himself to be near his end, he 
called his followers around him, bade them fare- 
well, and died. His body was wrapped in his man- 



Chap. I. 



DE SOTO AND COLIGNI. 



79 



tie, and, in the stillness of midnight, sunk in the 1542 
middle of the stream. The discoverer of the Mis- 
sissippi slept beneath its waters. His men, under 
the successor which he had appointed, wandered 
m the wilderness for a few months, and then em- 
barking upon the river in boats, sailed down the 
stream until they reached the Gulf of Mexico, 
when they pursued their way along the coast until 
they arrived at a Spanish settlement in Mexico 
nearly four years from the time they first com- 
menced their wanderings in the wilderness. 

20. Jasper Coligni, the leader of the Huguenot what a 
party in France, determined to establish a settle- Signf 
ment in America, to which the Protestants could 

flee from the persecutions which harassed them in 
their native land. He accordingly, in 1562, after 
having secured a commission from the king, sent 
out two ships under the command of John Ribault. 
Land was first discovered on the coast of Florida, 
in the latitude of St. Augustine. Sailing north, 
he entered a river, which he named Port Royal, 
and erected upon an island a fort, which he called 
Fort Charles. Leaving there a colony under Cap- 
tain Albert, he returned to France. 

21. The people soon after mutinied, killed Cap- 
tain Albert, and in a small ship set sail for France. whatof 
In 1564, Laudonnier sailed for Florida with three S d nui 
ships. He landed at the river May, and built a Rlbau ' 1 
fort, which, in honor of the French king, he named 
Carolina. In the following year, Ribault arrived a 
second time, and was made governor of the colony 

at Carolina. Spain had ne^er relinquished her 
claim to this country, which, she maintained, be- 



80 



EARLY DISCOVERIES. 



1564 longed to her by right of discovery. Philip II, 
determined to destroy the nest of heretics who had 
settled there, and plant in their place a Catholic 
colony. 

what of 22. He accordingly sent over Pedro Melendez, 
Metn- a man accustomed to scenes of blood and butchery. 
Landing upon the coast of Florida, south of the 
French settlement, he laid the foundation of the 
city of St. Augustine, the oldest town by forty 
years of any in the United States. The French 
had received intimation of the design of the 
Spaniards, and sent out an expedition by sea to 
attack them in their harbor ; but meeting with a 
terrific storm, the ships were wrecked, and nearly 
all on board perished. Melendez, marching with 
his troops through the forest, attacked the French 
in their rear, and massacred the whole company 
excepting Laudonnier and a few others, who 
escaped to France. 

23. Over their corpses he placed the inscription, 
" We do not this as unto Frenchmen, but as unto 
heretics" Upon the ground, smoking with the 
blood of a peaceful colony, a cross was raised and 
the site of a church selected. Melendez then 
erected three forts for the defense of the country, 
and strongly garrisoned them with Spanish sol- 
diers. 

what of 24. The French king took no notice of this mas- 
g e e s? or " sacre ; but the Chevalier de Gorges, a bold soldier, 
fitted out an expedition at his own expense, and 
sailed for Florida, determined to avenge the death 
of his countrymen. On his arrival, he made a 
descent upon the Spaniards, razed then forts, hung 



Chap. I. 



SIR WALTER RALEIGH. 



81 



two hundred of their garrison, writing" over them, 1568. 
" / do not this to Spaniards, but unto traitors, rob- 
bers, and murderers!" France disavowed the 
expedition, and relinquished all pretension to 
Florida. 

25. In 1583, Sir Humphrey Gilbert, a soldier and what 
a statesman, having received a grant from Queen gilbert? 
Elizabeth of such lands as he might discover and 
occupy, sailed with five ships for the purpose of 
making a settlement in America. Landing at 
Newfoundland, he took possession of the country 

in the name of his sovereign, and then proceeded 
south ; but meeting with a terrific storm, in which 
one of his ships was wrecked, he altered his course 
and sailed for England. His ship foundered at 
sea, and the brave Gilbert, with all his crew, per- 
ished. 

26. Sir Walter Raleigh, warned by the sad fate 

of his step-brother, resolved on a settlement in a gfj e g r 
milder climate. Having obtained from Elizabeth Zkhob- 
a patent as ample as that conferred on Gilbert, in ei^-™ 1 
which he was constituted a lord proprietor with 
almost unlimited powers, he dispatched two vessels 
for the New World, under the command of Philip 
Amidas and Arthur Barlow. Arriving opposite the 
shores of Carolina, they entered the first conveni- 
ent harbor, and took possession of the country for 
their queen. It was in the month of July, and the 
land seemed like the garden of Eden. The grapes ^ at of 
were so abundant on every vine, that the surge of tlydi's^ 
the ocean, as it rolled in upon the shore, dashed its 
spray upon the clusters. Elizabeth, as she heard 
their reports of the enchanted regions which they 
6 



82 EARLY DISCOVERIES. Part 

les^had discovered, as a memorial of her unmarried 

state, named them Virginia, 
what 27. Raleigh, encouraged by these favorable ac- 
ion e iaa counts, fitted out, in 15S5, seven ships, to convey to 
ini5S5? his new possessions the emigrants who were eager 
to settle in so delightful a country. The command 
of the expedition was given to Sir Richard Green- 
ville, and Ralph Lane accompanied it as governor 
Sfof 8 of the colony. In a short time he reached Vir- 
E2S ginia, and having left the settlers on the island of 
Roanoke, returned to England. Lane was cruel 
and avaricious, and by his imprudence excited the 
animosity of the Indians. Fortunately, in the fol- 
lowing year, when the colonists were reduced 
almost to starvation, Sir Francis Drake arrived 
from an expedition against the Spaniards, and car- 
nists? r i e d them back to England. Shortly after their 
departure, a ship, sent out by Raleigh, arrived with 
supplies, but found no one to receive them. 

28. In 1587, Raleigh sent out another coiony, 
under the command of Captain White. Soon after 



Who 

came to 
the aid 
of the 
colo 



1587? 



What is 



Under 
whom 

was a 

iony S C e°t their arrival, White returned to England to obtain 

out, in ° 

supplies. Owing to a war in which England was 
embroiled with Spain, nearly three years elapsed 
before he could return, and then the colony was 
completely destroyed, no one being left to tell its 
iteltei fate. Raleigh, discouraged at these repeated fail- 
ures of his plans, made no farther attempt to colo- 
nize the country, which for many years remained 
in the quiet possession of the natives. 
^ t 29. In 1602, Bartholomew Gosnold sailed for 
said of America, and reached the coast of Massachusetts 

the voy- 

oosnoid? in May. Proceeding south, he discovered Cape 



/ 



Chap. I. 



THE LONDON COMPANY. 



S3 



Cod, entered Buzzard's Bay, and, after trading a ieos 
while with the Indians, returned home. In 1603 
and 1605, two voyages were made, one by Martin What 
Pring, and the other by George Weymouth, in voyages 
which many rivers and bays on the coast of Maine made? 
and Massachusetts were discovered. 

30. The accounts of these navigators re-awaken- 
ed the spirit of emigration which had so long 
remained dormant, and led to an extensive scheme 
of colonization. Through the influence of Mr. 
Richard Hackluyt, an association of influential 
gentlemen was formed for the purpose of sending 
colonies to America. Virginia, at that time, ex- 
tended from the southern boundary of North Caro^ 
lina to the northern boundary of Maine. 

31. Two companies were formed ; one, composed what 
of noblemen and gentlemen in and about London, com P a - 

o ' nies 

was called the London company; the second, of formed, 
knights and gentlemen in the west, called the Ply- territory 
mouth company. The former had an exclusive right f^!^, 
to occupy the regions from thirty-four to thirty-eight 
degrees of north latitude ; the latter had an exclu- 
sive right to the country between forty-one and 
forty-five degrees. The intermediate district from 
thirty-eight to forty-one degrees was open to both 
companies. 

32. The superintendence of each district was how ■ 
confided to a council in England, appointed by the Jj s £ r e lcts 
king. The local administration of each colony f° u v e - d? 
was entrusted to a council residing within its limits, 
also appointed by the king, and to act in conform- 
ity with his instructions. Thus to the corporation 
nothing was given but a territory, with the right 



84 VIRGIN A. 



Part 1. 



1606 °f peopling and defending" it, while to the monarch 
~ was reserved absolute legislative authority, with 
the control of all appointments. 



CHAPTER II. 

VIRGINIA. 

1. One hundred and nine years had rolled away 
waTthe smce tne discovery of the American continent by 
viiSnif Cabot, forty-one years from the settlement of Flor- 
afLPca- ida, and yet no permanent colony had been estab- 

bot dis- _. ' _ . J _ T . . \ _ . J . _ , 

covered hsned m Virginia. Repeated attempts had been 

Amen- or r 

ca made, but through want of proper foresight they 

had proved unsuccessful. In 1606 the London 

pedition Company, after having matured a plan of settle- 
was sent r •> ' P r 

S Lon- m ent, and formed the laws which were to govern 
pany,°£i" it, sent out to South Virginia three ships and 105 

1608 » 11 i r TVT 

men, under the command of JNewport. 

2. The names and instructions of the council 
were handed to Newport in a sealed box, with 

S at f orders not to open it until twenty-four hours after 
john am his arrival in America. During- the voyage the 

Smith? & J n 

genius and energy of Capt. John Smith excited 
rout? jealousy, and under the frivolous charge of wish- 
STy ing to murder the council and proclaim himself 
whir"' king 0i Virginia, he was placed in confinement. 
Schthe Newport sailed by the way of the West India 
S? islands, intending to land at Roanoke ; but a vio- 



Chap. II. 



CAPT. JOHN SMITH. 



85 



lent storm drove him north into the Chesapeake iqqt 
bay. Discovering a noble river, they named it 
James, after their monarch. what 

river did 

3. The rich country ard the flowery shrubs which he dia- 

J J cover, 

oordered the shore invited them to enter. They JJJriEon 1 
sailed up the stream about fifty miles, encountering sefectfoi 
the hostility of but one small tribe, and selected the menu 
peninsula of Jamestown for the site of the colony. 
Wingfield was elected President of the council ; but 
Smith, although released from confinement, was smith™ 
excluded from his seat in their body, notwithstand- 
ing he had been duly appointed by the Company. 
The attempt at his trial was finally abandoned, and 
he restored to his station. Although surrounded 
by Indians, from whom they could expect but little what of 
assistance, the colony, which was composed princi- racterof 
pally of indolent gentlemen, paid no attention tos raats? 
the cultivation of the soil, so that famine soon 
stared them in the face. 

4. Newport sailed for England in June, and in a What j 
few weeks after his departure scarcely ten of the 
settlers were able to walk. They fell victims to colony 

J atter the 

diseases occasioned by the want of food, the heat Jre a of 



New 
port 1 



of the climate, and the decay of luxuriant vegeta- 
tion. Often four or five died in a night, and in the 
morning their bodies were trailed out of the cabin, 
like dogs, to be buried. Such was the mortality 
that by autumn fifty men had perished. Gosnold, 
the projector of the settlement, was among the 
number. 

5. Disunion completed the work of misery. Whal ot 
Wingfield, the avaricious President, was deposed treaeh- 

ery of 

from ofTne for dishonesty in appropriating the pub- 



86 



VIRGINIA. 



Part 1 



I6ot ^ c stores to his own use, and Ratcliffe appointed in 
~ his place; but the latter, ignorant and indolent, 
JJ^° was glad to leave the management of affairs to 
Ehe na l£ d Smith, whose cheerful courage alone diffused light 

fairs of . 

the coio amid the general gloom. 

6. His whole life had been spent in the service 
ot humanity. The trials through which he had 
passed were evidently intended to fit him for the 

"W*ai. is 1 t . i i r -XT- 

theener- g reat P art ne was to P* a y m tne settlement of Vir- 
lariy^ffe ginia- He had visited Egypt, Italy and France, and 
ofsmif^? f 0U g] lt m man y battles against the Turks. At 
length taken prisoner and sent to Constantinople 
as a slave, he was relieved by a Turkish lady and 
finally regained his liberty. Returning to England, 
he shared in the general enthusiasm of planting 
States in America, and now the infant common- 
wealth of Yirginia depended for its existence upon 
his firmness. He inspired the natives with awe, 
and quelled the spirit of anarchy and rebellion 
among the emigrants. 

7. He was accustomed to make frequent excur- 
sions into the interior to obtain provisions and ex- 
How was plore the country. In one of these expeditions, 
|,HsJne e r n after having ascended the Chickahominy river near- 
indianB? ly to its source, he was attacked by a party of In- 
dians and all of his companions killed. Seizing 
an Indian youth he held him as a shield between 

• his body and the enemy and fled ; but being unac- 
quainted with the country, he sunk to his neck in 
a swamp and was taken prisoner. 

8. Smith now preserved his life bv his calmness 

How did . r . J 

pre- and sell-possession. Displaying a pocket compass 

he amused the savages by an explanation of its 



*erve his 
lie? 



Chap. II. 



CAPT. JOHN SMITH. 



S7 



powers, and increased their admiration of his genius j 608 
by imparting to them some conception of the form 
of the earth and the nature of the planetary sys- To 
tern. Their wonder, however, soon seemed to abate. duTthey 
and he was led in triumph to Powhattan, their wSanii 
king. Powhattan and his council doomed him to J^jjj 
death, as a man whose genius and courage were S te ^ s 
dangerous to the Indians. He was accordingly led 
to execution, but just as Powhattan had raised his 
club to perform its murderous work, Pocahontas, 
his youthful daughter, rushed through the crowd whatcir- 

* ~ ' . ° cumstan- 

and with a shriek threw herself upon the prostrate ^ jgg" 
form of Smith, at the same time casting an im- served? 
ploring look toward her father, with eyes swim- 
ming with tears besought his life. The heart of 
the savage king was touched with pity, and drop- h 
pin or the war-club he raised his daughter and the , hi \ ca ^- 

r o o tivity a 

captive from the ground. Smith was now looked ^° efitto 
upon as a friend, and succeeded in establishing a ' vhltes? 
peaceful intercourse between the English and the 
tribes of Powhattan. Thus his captivity, on the 
whole, was a benefit to the colony. 

9. Returning to Jamestown he found the colony Inwhat 
in a state of great confusion and distress. Only m he " 
forty of the emigrants were alive, and the stronger coionyon 

J ° " his re- 

part of these had seized the pinnace to make their turn? 

escape. This third attempt at desertion he re- 
Dressed at the hazard of his life. Newport soon said' oi 

.* _ 1 the arri- 

arrived with supplies and one hundred and twenty Jj^jJ,, 
emigrants ; but, unhappily, most of them were charae- 6 
vagabond gentlemen and goldsmiths, who gave a Im? th8 

. s grants 

wrong direction to the industry of the colony. Be- uno 

S J J came 

lieving they had found grains ol gold in a glitter- 



88 



VIRGINIA. 



Pars I. 



5608 ing sand which abounded near Jamestown, a ship 
~ was loaded with it and sent to England, where it 
did the? was found to be no better than common earth. 
?hei° te Finding the people too mad to pursue any useful ob- 
wjtn ject, and disgusted at the follies which he had vainly 

suit? 



opposed, Smith set off to explore the country, and 
?id w taT sailed in an open boat three thousand miles along 
afte? the coast, discovering many beautiful bays and 

ward ex- 7 i 

cS? the rivers : thus adding greatly to the geographical 
knowledge of the country. 

10. Three days after his return he was made 
what is President of the council. Under his energetic ad- 
his d ad- ministration order and industry beg an to prevail, 

ministra- J ° T 7 

non? when JNewport arrived with a second supply and 
seventy emigrants. They considered themselves 
above labor, but Smith insisted that if they would 
not work they should not eat, so that they were 
soon willing to drop the gentleman and labor like 

what the rest. Jamestown now began to assume the 

was the ° 

Sf n the° n a PP 8a i'ance of a regular place of abode ; yet at the 
SSo ny expiration of two years not more than thirty or 
from its fortv acres of land had been cultivated, and the 

settle- J ' 

msnt? colonists were often compelled to solicit food from 
the Indians to preserve themselves from starvation. 
v .-h , la 11- In 1609 the London Company obtained a 
f^, ,?e f «- new charter, enlarging their territory and increas 1 - 
obfained ing their privileges. The council in England and 
r°mw- tne governor, before appointed by the king, were to 
be chosen by the stockholders, and the governor to 
reside in Virginia. Lord Delaware was appointed 
governor for life. Soon after, nine ships, carrying 
s^out? five hundred emigrants and certain officers appoint- 
ed to supersede the existing government, were sent 



What ig 

md Of 

he expe 
.lirion 



Chap. II. 



SECOND CHARTER. 



89 



hat 

Smith 



out from England. A violent storm arising, the jeo©. 
ship in which these officers sailed was wrecked on ^ 
the island of Bermuda. A small ketch perished, 
and seven ships only arrived in Virginia. 

12. The new emigrants were most of them rakes 
and libertines, men more fitted to corrupt than to What 
found a commonwealth. Declaring that the old chamc he 
charter was abrogated, and that until the arrival ^."^ 
of the governor, no one in the colony had any f^w' 
authority from the new grant, anarchy seemed at did 
hand. But Smith insisted that his office did notp^ue? 
expire until the arrival of the new governor, reso- Whatin . 
lutely maintained his authority until, disabled by h^ e J e . 
an accidental discharge of gunpowder, he delegated England) 
his authority to Percy and embarked for England. 
The colonists, no lonsrer controlled by an 

'. 6 J What 

acknowledged authority, were soon abandoned to g ok 
idleness. The Indians learning that the only man 
whom they dreaded had left the colony, not only 
refused to supply them with food, but murdered a 
large number, and laid their plans to starve and 
destroy the whole company. So great was the 
famine, that the settlers devoured the skins of their S at 'f 
horses and the bodies of the Indians whom they Se? fam " 
had killed. Smith, at his departure, had left more 
than four hundred and ninety persons in the colo- 
ny ; in six months the number was reduced to 
sixty, and these were so dejected that if relief had 
not arrived, in ten days all must have perished. 
14. At this frightful period. Sir Thomas Gates 

' What 

arrived with the passengers who had been wrecked ^JJ|j? 
upon the coast of Bermuda. All immediately de- Kir?" 
termined to sail for Newfoundland. They accord- Gate/? 



after hi 
depart- 
ure? 



90 VIRGINIA Parti. 

1610 m &ty embarked on board of the newly-arrived 
— ships and dropped down the stream with the tide ; 
what hut the next morning they fell in near the mouth 
ed e t£ of the river with the long-boat of Lord Delaware, 
their lns who had arrived on the coast with emigrants and 

plans in- .... 

S ecu " supplies. The fugitives immediately returned to 
Jamestown. 

15. The severe trials through which they had 
passed had taught them their dependence upon 
God, and they now recommenced their colony with 
appropriate religious services, acknowledging the 
hand of Providence so signally displayed in saving 
whatot them from famine and utter extinction. Under the 
tfc,n lst oT mild administration of Lord Delaware order and 
aware? ' contentment were restored, and the colony soon as- 
sumed the appearance of affluence and security. 
In a short time his health making it necessary for 
him to return to England he was succeeded by Sir 
Thomas Dale, 
what is 16. In the same year Sir Thomas Gates was ap- 
the ad- pointed governor and sailed for Virginia with six 

ministra- , 

G»t es ° f ships and three hundred emigrants. On his arri- 
val he assumed the government of the colony, 
which then numbered seven hundred men. 

Hitherto all property had been held in common, 
but now a new plan was adopted, and each man 
had a few acres assigned to him as his own. This 
produced a beneficial change, for the love of pos- 
session stimulated each one to improve his own to 
the utmost. 

Siauge 17. In 1612 another change in the charter of the 
piaccm Virginia Company took place, granting to them the 
'.WW, 1 " Bermudas and all islands within three hundred 



Chap. II 



THIRD CHARTER. 



91 



leagues of the Virginia shore, and giving the con- \c>i 
trol of the colony to the members of the company. 
These men appointed the officers, and made the 
laws — the settlers being excluded, as heretofore, from 
any influence in the government. 

18. In the following year the hostility of the How- 
Indian tribes was changed into friendship by the ho e s 'tiii : 

° r J ties of 

marriage of Pocahontas to a young Englishman, by 



the In- 
dians 
changed 
into 
friend- 



the name of John Rolfe. With the approbation of 

her father and friends, Opachisco, her uncle, gave the ship? 

bride away in the little church at Jamestown, and 

she stammered before the altar her marriage vows 

according to the rites of the English service. In what, of 

1616 she sailed with her husband for England, and ture his- 

. tory ot 

was received at court with the distinction due to an 

American princess. As she was preparing to return 

to America she fell a victim to the English climate, 

at the age of twenty-tw r o — saved, as if by the hand 

of mercy, from beholding the extermination of the 

tribes from which she sprung, leaving a spotless 

name, and dwelling in memory under the form of 

perpetual youth. 

19. In 1619, under the administration of Yeardly, 

the first colonial assembly ever held in Virginia met cmred 

-> ° under 

at Jamestown. The house of burgesses, as it was ^mistm- 
called, could debate and enact laws, but they could Yeardly ' 
not be of force till they were ratified by the compa- 
ny in England. Nearly thirteen years had now 
passed away since the settlement had been begun. 2 a [ he 
More than eighty thousand pounds had been ex- of the 

° " 1 > colony 

pen (ted by the company, yet the colony contained *J£ en 
only six hundred persons. In 1620, however, forma- 11 " 
through the influence of Sir Edward Sandys, 



92 



VIRGINIA. 



Part 1. 



adopted 
tn fur- 
nish 
tnem 
with 
wives 1 



What 
was the 
result ? 



1620 twelve hundred and sixty-one emigrants came 
how - °' lt - 

"tuera 20. Most of these settlers were without families. 
invsm To strengthen their attachment to the land of their' 
pK at wns adoption, the company prevailed upon ninety young 
women to embark for the colon)^ where the}^ were 
assured of a welcome. On their arrival they had 
no difficulty in finding agreeable partners. The 
husbands paid the expenses of emigration, the price 
of a wife being about one hundred and fifty pounds 
of tobacco. Domestic ties were formed ; new emi- 
grants constantly arrived, and within three years, 
three thousand five hundred persons found .their 
way to Virginia, which was a refuge even for 
Puritans. 

what is 21. In 1620 a Dutch man-of-war entered James 

said of 

theintro- river and landed twenty nesrroes for sale. This is 

riuc'ion J o 

Savefr? the sad epoch of the introduction of negro slavery 
in the English colonies. The s}-stem was fastened 
on the rising institutions of America, not b}^ the 
consent of the corporation, nor the desire of the 
emigrants ; but, as it was introduced by the mer- 
cantile avarice of a foreign nation, so it was subse- 
quently riveted by the policy of England, without 
regard to the interest or wishes of the colony. The 
number of slaves increased very slowly in Virginia, 
so that thirty years after their first importation 
there was not more than one slave to fifty whites, 
what 22. In 1621 Sir Ralph Wyatt arrived as the suc- 
^e e con- cessor of Yeardly. He brought with him a written 
vouS constitution, securing many valuable privileges to 
wyau v the colonists, and amon? them the trial by jury 

secure? ° , ■ 

and local courts founded on English law. The 



WRITTEN CONSTITUTION. 



93 



governor and assembly chosen by the people were 1021 
to exercise full legislative authority, but no law 
would be valid unless ratified by the company in 
England. With singular justice it was also or- 
dained, that no order of the court in London should 
bind the colony unless ratified by the general as- 
sembly. 

22. Under these equitable laws and the mild ad- what n 

1 said 01 

ministration of Wyatt, the colony continued in 
the full tide of prosperity ; but a storm was gather- 
ing which was soon to sweep over their settlements 
in fury, changing their smiling villages to heaps 
of burning ruins. Powhattan, the father of Poca- 
hontas, remained, after the marriage of his daugh- _ 

' ' & & What 

ter, the firm friend of the English. In 1618 he 
died, and his younger brother, who was now the 
heir to his influence, viewed with a jealous eye the 
gradual encroachments of the English, and deter- ™g™ sh 
mined to destroy them. By his art and eloquence 
he united all the neighboring tribes in his horrible 



said 
the colo- 
ny unddi 
these 
regula- 
tions ? 



event 
followed 
the 
death 
of Pow- 
hattan? 



influence 
were 
hostili- 
ties 

brought 

design, about ? 

24. The Indians, up to the very hour of the 
massacre, with the cunning and treachery peculiar 
to that race, professed a warm friendship for the 
whites. They entered their houses, sat at their 
tables, and brought them presents of game and 
fish. Precisely at mid-day, on a given signal, the 
terrible war-v hoop rang through their villages, and 
the work of blood commenced. Neither the gray what is 

° J said 01 

hairs of old age, weeping mothers, nor smiling child- 
hood, could soften the heart of their savage foe, as, 
with face distorted with passion, and eyes blazing 
with fury, they crashed with their tomahawks and 



the ma9 

sacre ? 



94 



VIRGINIA. 



Part I. 



1622 huge war-clubs through the skulls of their victims. 
All upon whom they could lay their hands were 
murdered. In one hour three hundred and forty- 
seven persons were cut off. 

how 25. None would have been saved had not ado- 
was the 

destmc- mesticated Indian, residing in one of the villages, 
th" of revealed the plot to his master, whom he had been 
pryent requested to murder. Information was immediately 
given to some of the nearest settlements, just in 
time to save them from the calamity which fell 
upon others. Had not the watchful care of Provi- 
dence warned the few who were saved through this 
faithful Indian, the sun of that colony would have 
set in blood, not one being left to tell the tale. 

26. The English, roused to vengeance at this 
treachery of the Indians, commenced against them 
^g5e ved a war of extermination. The savages were driven 
ties? 1 back into the wilderness by their victorious foes ; 

but the number of whites gradually melted away 
ma "y.. by war and famine, until in 1624 of nine thousand 

were hv- J 



the coV persons who had been sent from England but 



1624 ?' eighteen hundred existed in the colony. 

27. King James declared that these continued 

What ° 

Km/ id mis f° r tunes were owing to the bad government of 
ta a k^ es to the colony, and sent out three commissioners to 
the d char- Virginia to inquire into the state of the plantation ; 
Virginia! but, determined to have the government in his own 
hands, before they returned a judicial trial was in- 
stituted, which resulted in the canceling of the 
charter. Virginia was changed into a royal pro- 
vince and a governor appointed by the king. 

28. In 1625 Charles I. ascended the throne of 
England. One of his first Virginia measures was 



Chap. II. 



CHARTER CANCELLED. 



95 



to announce his fixed resolution of becoming, through 162,5 
his agents, the sole factor of the planters ; but this 1625> 
resolution was never carried into effect. In 1628 w£ a the 
Sir John Harvey was appointed governor. From ginia 

^ 1 A ° measure 

the time of his first appearance in America, in ° f ? Cha9 
1623, he had been looked upon with aversion by 1628 . 
the colonists. They beheld in him a tyrant, who said of 

ii- i Governoi 

preferred the interests of himself and patrons to the Harvey? 
welfare and quiet of the colony. 

29. The colonists at length, indignant at his re- For what 

° ' °_ purpose 

peated acts of injustice, deposed him from office ^ 
and sent him to England for trial ; but Charles l*e- anifwhat 
fused an audience to his accusers, and sent him result* 
back to Virginia with a new commission as gov- im 
em or. In 1639, however, he was suspended by the wh 
appointment of Sir Francis Wyatt, who, at the ex- |3 cc h& 
piration of two years, was succeeded by Sir Wil- vey ' 
liam Berkeley. Immediately after his arrival, he 

' , . J _ . ' What of 

convened the colonial assembly. Religion was pro- th ? . * d 

J O r rnimstra 

moted, the law of land titles adjusted, and peace fie 
with the Indians confirmed. 

30. Nearly up to this time the Puritans had en- 
joyed religious liberty in Virginia, and had been 
invited to emigrate and settle in the country. But 
in 1643 they began to harbor the same bitter feel- 
ings toward other religious sects which had long 
existed among the Puritans in New England. A 
law was accordingly passed forbidding any minister what 
to teach or preach, except in conformity to the Epis- f a e £ ta u r i D 
copal church, and non-conformists were banished mii &n 
from the colony. 

31. In 1644 the Powhattan tribes again fell upon 
the settlement, and before they were driven back 



90 VIRGINIA. Part lt 

K546 three hundred persons were killed. A war upon 
1644 them was commenced ; Opechancanougl^ their 
S at ©f aged chief, was made prisoner, and died in misera- 
with the ble captivity of wounds inflicted by a brutal soldier. 

Powhat- J 

to^llT A border- warfare continued until in 1646 the Indi- 
ans were reduced to submission. 

32. In England a party had been a long time 
j 1 forming in opposition to the royal government. 
England? Qj v j| war at t en gth commenced, the throne was 
overturned and Charles I. beheaded. Cromwell, 
under the title of protector, swayed the sceptre 
of the commonwealth. During the nine years of 
was the the protectorship, but little attention was paid to 

condition 
of Vir- 
ginia 



What is 
said of 



war 



Virginia. Her governors were chosen by herself, 
S corn and in all but a name she was an independent gov- 
weajth? ernment. Firm in her loyalty to the king, she was 
the last to acknowledge the authority of Cromwell, 
and only did so when a fleet, sent out by parliament 
to reduce her to submission, appeared off the coast. 

33. Their governor, Berkeley, retired to private 
life, where he remained until just before the Resto- 
ration, when he was again elected governor, and 
was the first to proclaim Charles II. as their lawful 
what is sovereign. 

the ° Great was the rejoicing throughout the colo- 

hopes of 
the colo- 
ny on the 
Restora- 
tion ? 



ny, on the restoration of monarchy in England. 
They had hoped that the king, out of gratitude 
for their adherence to his cause, would heap 



How 

they di s - favors on them ; but in this they were disap- 

uppoint- ^ 1 



1073. 

To 

whom 

was 

the ; r ter- 
-itory 
%rn nted ? 



pointed, for with characteristic ingratitude, he neg- 
lected their interests and imposed additional restric- 
tions upon their commerce. He also granted to 
Lord Culpepper and Earl Arlington, two royal favor- 



Cliap. II. 



RESTORATION OF MONARCHY. 



97 



ites, the whole territory of Virginia for the space i^is 
of thirty-one years. 

34. Outraged and indignant at the repeated in- JJ e h re\he 
juries which they had received from the hands of Sf'lSe 

, _ , i i , . | , coloniste 

those of whom they had a right to expect only [Jj 8 ^*^ 
kindness, they soon began to manifest their feelings iDi " nes ' 
in murmurs of discontent, when gathered together 
in the gloom of the forest to talk of their hard- 
ships. Conscious of their wrongs, half conscious 
of the rightful remedy, nothing was wanting but Whatex 

o J ' & o cuse was 

an excuse for appearing in arms. fered°fo' 

35. This soon offered itself; for the Seneca In- Sin| p " 
dians had driven the Susquehannahs from the head 

of the Chesapeake, and Maryland was involved in 
war with the latter tribe and their confederates. 
Murders had been committed on the soil of Vir- wra. 
ginia, and when six of the hostile chieftains pre- 
sented themselves to treat for a reconciliation, in the 
blind fury of the moment they were slain. A bor- 
der-warfare now commenced, in which the Indians 
laid waste the plantations and butchered the in- 
habitants with savage cruelty. 

36. The avaricious Berkeley, fearing to com- 
mence direct hostilities against the Indians, lest it 
should interfere with his lucrative beaver trade, 
winked at their atrocities and delayed taking 
measures to protect the frontier. The people chose S at f 
Nathaniel Bacon for their leader, and demanded po?nt- ap " 

' ment of 

of the governor leave to rise and protect ihem- g^on a« 

oplvps! and the 

Pelves. vacilla- 

37. Berkeley, jealous of Bacon's popularity, re- J»^f 

fused his consent; but his authority now was but ley? 

hi tie revered, hi a short time five hundred men 
7 



98 



VIRGINIA. 



Part 1. 



1616 were under arms, and Bacon, with common voice 
— proclaimed leader of their enterprise. Hardly had 
Bacon oommenced his march against the Indians, 
before Berkeley proclaimed him and all his follow- 
ers rebels, and sent out troops to pursue them ; but 
the troops were compelled to return to check a new 
insurrection, and he continued his expedition. 
tKis- 38. The great mass of the people were now 
of 'the old thoroughly excited, and demanded the dissolution 
My' of the old assembly. Berkeley, finding it impossi- 
ble to stem the current of popular opinion, was 
compelled to yield. The old assembly, rendered 
odious by its tyranny, was dissolved, a new assem- 
bly was elected, and among the representatives was 
Bacon, who had just returned in triumph from his 
Indian warfare. 
!heci>n- 39. Bacon was appointed commander-in-chief ; 
Berkeley but Berkeley refused to sign his commission unt il 
-ennnof shortly after, he entered Jamestown at the head of 

Bacon? J 1 

five hundred men, when the governor, at the urgent 
solicitation of the council, yielded, and issued the 
commission. Bacon and his troops then commenced 
their march against the Indians. 

No sooner had they gone, than the proud and 
vacillating governor repaired to Gloucester county, 
the most loyal in Virginia, summoned a convention 
of the inhabitants, and against their advice pro- 
claimed him a traitor. 



with his forces to Jamestown. The governor and 



what 40. Bacon, enraged at this conduct, returned 

were the 
"vr-nts of 
.tie. civil 

o! lowed? council fled, and he at once found himself possess 
ed of supreme power. He immediately called 
together an assembly, who bound themselves to 



Ciiap. II. 



«acon's rebellion, 



99 



support his authority. A civil war ensued, which I8 ?6 
for a long time raged, with all its peculiar horrors, 
in Virginia. Jamestown was burned, and the 
country laid waste. At length Bacon died of a 
fever, and his followers, without a leader, were com- 
pelled to yield. 

41. Berkeley, with all the meanness and malig- 
nity of a tyrant and a coward, now that his ene- JJ^™ 
mies were in his power, determined to take fearful fjerke-* 
vengeance. The property of many was confisca- lty ' 
ted, and twenty-two executed. His revenge would 

not have stayed even here, had not his council 
urged him to stop the work of blood. 

42. His conduct was strongly condemned in 
England. The kind-hearted Charles II. with 
truth said, " The old fool has taken away more 
lives in that naked country, than I for the murder 

When 

of my father." Berkeley went to England, and ™^, the 

soon died, leaving his name to general execration. ^entV 

In 1684, the grant which was made to Arlington sto,ed? 

and Culpepper was recalled, and Virginia again 

became a royal province. 

From this time the colony gradually advanced what u 
, . . - i ■/ i i , sa,d of 

in population and prosperity ; but until the break- ^ jni r ^ g 

ing out of the French and Indian war, but few of S %Z- 

incidents of historical interest occurred within her gimd 

territory. 



IUO 



MASSACHUSETTS. 



Part 1, 



10 20 

CHAPTER III. 

MASSACHUSETTS. 

1. Mention has already been made of the 
what is earlier discoveries of Massachusetts, and the form- 
thedLo- ation of the Plymouth Company. This company 
South" was unsuccessful in forming a colony here, and in 
compa- |^20 they were superseded by the Council of Ply- 
mouth, to whom was granted all the territory 
between the 40th and 48th degree of north lati- 
tude, extending from the Atlantic to the Pacific, 
whatis 2. The first settlers of Massachusetts were a 

said of 

settle? band of Puritans, who, exposed to a fierce persecu- 
safhu- 3 " tion in their native land, on account of certain reli- 

setts? m m \ 

gious views, and of refusing to comply with the 
tyrannical exactions of a bigoted king and corrupt 
government, rather chose a home in the wilder- 
ness, where they could at least worship God accord- 
ing to the dictates of their own consciences, than to 
give up principles which they believed were found- 
ed on the " word of God." 

3. Their eyes were first turned toward Holland, 
but when they attempted to embark many of them 
were seized and thrown in prison, by order of a 
king who could not endure that his prey should 
thus easily escape from his hands. At length, in 
1608, they arrived in Amsterdam, and from thence 
proceeded to Leyden, where they 'formed a distinct 
society, under the care of their pastor, Rev. John 
Robinson. 



Describe 
their 

England 
mid their 
■emoval 
to Hol- 
land. 



i. 111. PILGRIMS LEAVE HOLLAND. 



101 



4. By their piety and exemplary deportment, they 1620 
acquired the respect and love of the magistrates 

and citizens, and but for the fear of offending King 
James, they would have met with public favor. 
After having resided eleven years in Leyden, they 
determined to remove. The language and manners 
of the Dutch were disagreeable to them ; they were Seed 
suffering' from poverty : and their children, sharing iea™ t0 

° r J 1 . Holland? 

their parents' burdens, bowed under the weight, 
and became decrepid in early youth. Conscious 
of their abilities to act a higher part in the great 
drama of humanity, they determined to emigrate to 
the New World. 

5. Mr. John Carver was accordingly sent to Eng- 
land to apply to the London Company for a grant Whatdiu 
of land in America, and to petition the king for Shffrom 
liberty of religion, to be conferred under his broad donc-om- 
seal. The grant was obtained, but the most they what an 

° ' J from the 

could derive from the king was an informal prom- kmg * 
ise of neglect. Having obtained two small vessels, 
the Speedwell, of sixty tons, and the Mayflower, In what 
of one hundred and eighty tons, Brewster, with as did they 
many as could 'find room, prepared to embark. 
Robinson, with a large part of the congregation, 
remained behind. 

6. The parting scene was very affecting. They 
all knelt upon the ground and mingled their voices 

. , f • i i Deserve 

together in prayer, then arose, and with the tears the part- 
streaming down their cheeks, waved to each other aid the 
an adieu, which they could not speak. They im- 
mediately proceeded to Southampton, in England, 
and after tarrying there for a fortnight, set sail foi 
America. They had proceeded but a short dis- 



voya^e. 



102 



MASSACHUSETTS. 



Part 1. 



16 20 tance on their voyage, when the Speedwell, owing 
to the weakness of the vessel, was obliged to re- 
turn, leaving the Mayflower to continue its course 
alone. 

7. Look for a moment upon that little vessel, 
careering upon the rough waves of the ocean, and 
tossing like a feather on its tempestuous bosom ; 
behold a germ which shall yet grow to a mighty 
tree — a spark, which, at some future day, will kin- 
dle a beacon on Bunker Hill, that will shine a 
pillar of fire to the world. Witness the guiding 
saidotan power of an overruling Providence for those self- 

overrul- i ~ 

llnceT denying men, and others who preceded and fol 
lowed them to different colonies, forging, uncon- 
sciously perhaps, the first link of that great chain . 
of civil and religious freedom, which is yet to sur- 
round the earth. 

where 8. They expected to land near the Hudson, but 

did they ; f r , . . ' 

first dw- W ere carried so bir north that their first sight of 

cover o 

land? land was the bleak shore of Cape Cod. They now 
what drew up a civil compact, signed by the whole body 
dirtey of men, forty-one in number, in which they bound 

sign, and ' J ' - 1 

officers themselves to be obedient to all the ordinances 
choosl y made by the body. John Carver was appointed 
landing? governor, and Miles Standish captain, 
whatdid ^' They sailed along the inner coast of the bay, 
S ey iand d Ending at different times to explore the country. 
Iif ' At one place they found a number of Indian graves, 
and a quantity of Indian corn buried in the ground, 
what is The weather was so intenselv cold that the watet 

said of J 

Slather? noze upon their clothes and made them like coats 
of ice. On the third morning, they found them- 
selves at the entrance of Plymouth harbor. Here 



lerent 
times ? 



Chap. III. FIRST WINTER IN AMERICA. 103 

they determined to land and make their settle- ic?2o 
ment. 

1.0. The next day was the Sabbath. They rest- j?™' dic 
ed and kept it holy ; and there, for the first time, the"sab 
on those ice-bound shores, were heard the voice 



:ild 

bath ? 

! i. :' 

of prayer and the song of praise, ascending to when 
heaven. On the following day, the 21st of De- c v ,iJ iere 

land anil 



lenient 1 



as the 
prospect 



and 
win 

did they 

cember, they landed on Plymouth rock, naming it com- 
from the last place they left in England. A dreary their set 
prospect was before them ; on one side lay a vast 
wilderness covered with a snowy mantle, on the ™ ha{ 
other, rolled the broad Atlantic, separating them Ke 
from their kindred and their native land ; yet their 
trust in God remained unshaken, for they knew 
that the same mighty power which watched over trUiit? 
them on the stormy deep could still protect them. 

11. The freezing weather to which they had 
been exposed sowed the seeds of consumption and 
inflammatory colds, and the bitterness of mortal 
disease was their welcome to these inhospitable What u 
shores. Their buildings went up slowly, for it was firsui 
a difficult matter to erect them when one-half of during 

the first 



their number was wasting away with consump- 
tion and fever. Week after week, during the whole 
of that dreary winter, they carried out one after an- 
other of their friends to their long homes ; and ere 
spring again smiled upon the earth, more than one- 
half their number, including the governor and his 
wife, lay buried jn the shore. 

12. Until they could cultivate their ground and 
gather in their crops, they suffered much from want 
of food. At one time, they were reduced to a pint 
of corn, which, being divided, gave only five ker- 



wintet 



1U4 



MASSACHUSETTS. 



Part I 



1620 nels to each individual. The living were hardly 
how able to take care of the sick and bury the dead 
their af- Yet, during all this season of suffering, the cheer- 
the n s e e t by ^ confidence of the pilgrims m the mercies of 
tiers? Providence remained unshaken. After their first 
desolating sickness, and the gathering in of their 
crops, prosperity seemed to attend them. 

13. And here we cannot refrain from pausing to 
what draw a contrast between the pilgrims and the seU 
do we tiers of Virginia. The latter were made up of a 

draw be- ~ r 

Eet- class of wild adventurers, destitute of piety and 
Mas S sa- thirsting for gold. The former came, that they 
anjVir- might worship God in peace ; and on first pressing 
the soil of the New World, their knees were bent 
in humble supplication and thanksgiving to their 
Maker. The foundations of their settlement were 
laid in prayer, and after their first severe trials had 
passed away, the smiles of that Being in whom 
they had trusted attended them. The latter, rent 
by internal dissensions, and their number constant- 
ly thinned by famine and the knife of the Indian, 
planted their colony in suffering and blood. 

14. When the pilgrims landed there were traces 
of a previous population, but no living inhabitants. 
A fearful disease had, a short time before, swept 
them all away or driven them farther back into the 
wilderness. Indians from abroad were occasional!}' 
discovered hovering around the settlement, but dis 
appearing when pursued. 

Give an 15. At length, after several months, Samaset, an 
of^hf Indian who had learned a little English of the fish- 
ganvisit ermen at Penobscot, boldly entered the town, ex- 
Senti claiming — " Welcome. Englishmen." With the aid 



formed 

ith 
Massa- 
soit, ? 



Chap. III. MASSACHUSETTS BAY COLONY. l< 5 

of this Indian they entered into a treaty of peace 1021 
with Massasoit, the great Sachem of the Wampe- Wha , 
noags, in which 'hey promised to abstain from mu- 
tual injuries, and to aid each other when attacked g 
unjustly. Tliis treaty remained unbroken for more 
than half a century. 

16. Canonicus, the chief of the Narragansetts, i 62 2. 
disliking this intimacy between the English and 
Massasoit, sent to Plymouth a bunch of arrows 
wrapped in a rattlesnake's skin, as a token of his 
hostility. The governor, after having filled the 
skin with powder and ball, returned it ; the com- jJJUjjg 
age of the Indian quailed, and he desired to be at °on?cus 

. , 1 j> subdued"! 

peace with a race whose weapons 01 war were so 
terrible. 

17. In 1828 a settlement was made at Salem by 

a company under the charge of John Endicott. In J^atts 
the following spring he was joined by Mr. White, a SatiSfd 
non-conformist minister of Devonshire, and about 



the Mr 
sachu- 



16*29, 



one hundred emigrants. Through the influence colony? 
of Lord Dorchester and the Earl of Warwick they 
obtained a charter from Charles I., and were con- 
stituted a body politic under the name of the " Gov 
ernor and Company of the Massachusetts Bay 
Colony." 

18. The new colonists immediately began the Wha i 
formation of their church. They elected a pastor, ImVJS 
teacher, and elder ; disencumbered their public wor- *e coid- 
ship of most of its ceremony, and reduced it to the 
lowest standard of Calvinistic simplicity. Forget- 
ting, in their religious zeal, that others had a right ZtTlt 1 * 
to the enjoyment of the same Christian liberty as ^ous reli 
themselves, those who refused to worship according 



106 



MASSACHUSETTS. 



Part 1, 



163 to the ritual of their church were expelled from the 
colony. 

19. In the mean time, men of greater opulence 
fhe W G^v- ana " higher rank, weary of the religious persecution 
ot"thl nt which harassed them in England, determined to join 
fened to tne M assacnuse tts Bay Colony. Through their influ- 
America? ence; i\ ie government of the colony was transferred 
Wh0 from the company to America, and vested in mem- 
polntld' bers who should reside in the country. John Win- 
no 1 -? throp was appointed governor, and Thomas Dudly 
Howma- deputy governor. In the course of the following 
Sver U the y ear « fifteen hundred persons sailed for Massachu- 
?ea° w anl setts ; but many of them, dissatisfied with Salem, 
3otti$ ey sett1ieo ^ at Boston, Charlestown, Roxbury, Dorches- 
ter, &c. 

What 20. In 1631 a law was passed at Charlestown 
passed in providing for the election of the officers of govern- 
ment by freemen alone, but recognizing none as 
1634. freemen excepting church members. In 1634 the 
settlements had become so scattered that it was 
found extremely inconvenient for all the freemen 
to assemble and transact the necessary public busi- 



When 

com- 
menced 

n nn'uive ness. The authority granted by the charter to 



form of 
govern 
menf? 



the whole body of freemen, was accordingly dele- 
gated to twenty-four representatives. 

21. Notwithstanding the Puritans had suffered 
so much for opinion's sake, yet the same religious 
S at f s intolerance prevailed among them as in the land 
Sns°aid tne y h aQl l e ft- Roger Williams, a minister who had 
tion e oT come over from England to escape persecution, 
Sams* D °id l y maintained that toleration ought to be grant- 
ed to all sects ; that oaths of allegiance to the king 
and magistrates were wrong ; and that the colonial 



Chap. III. MRS - HUTCHINSON. 107 

charter was founded in injustice. For maintain- ^63 5 
ing these doctrines, he was tried and banished from 
the colony. He shortly aftet settled at Providence, 
and became the founder of Rhode Island. l636> 

22. During the previous year three thousand 
new emigrants arrived ; among the number were 
Henry Vane and Hugh Peters. Vane w r as a young ny W c™e 
man from one of the first families in England, and ensuing 

° ' year, and 

possessed of brilliant talents and great piety ; affa- Jj^i. 
ble and winning in his manners and conversation, SmonT" 
he so gained the affection of the colonists, that in ber? 
1636 he was appointed governor. But his popu- . g 
larity was of short duration ; for during his admin- f^f 
istration a religious controversy arose, which ended 
in destroying his influence in a great measure in 
the colony. 

23. Mrs. Hutchinson, a woman of considerable 
talent and eloquence, advanced certain doctrines Wha t is 
which were considered by many as mystical and gjjjv^ 
full of heresy. She opposed every form of despot- ®f n h e" d 
ism over the mind, and declared that the clergy of converU ' 
Massachusetts were the ushers of persecution, who 

had not imbibed the true doctrine of Christian reform. 

24. Her opinions spread rapidly among the peo- 
ple, and were embraced by Governor Vane, Mr. 
Cotton and Mr. Wheelwright, two distinguished 
clergymen, and many other influential men. The J^ at the 
majority of the people deemed her doctrines 

neous, and she, w T ith manv of her followers, was apalmt 

1 ' J ' them? 

banished from the colony. Vane, disgusted at the 
bitter feeling which was manifested toward himself 
and the sect to which he belonged, in the following 
year returned to England. 



LOS 



MASSACHUSETTS. 



Part 1 



What in- 
duced 
many to 

.flee to 

'America? 



1638 25. The persecutions of Charles I. induced many 
"™ to emigrate to New England, that they might enjoy 
the civil and religious liberty which was denied 
them at home. Sir Arthur Haselrig and Oliver 
Cromwell had embarked, but were prevented leav- 
Howwas m g the country on account of a proclamation issued 
Ten'ecP' D y tne king, prohibiting all emigration without 
coming? previous license. Thus the monarch kept at home 
the very persons who afterward led the way to his 
dethronement and death. 

26. The attention of the colonists was early 
turned to the subject of education, and in 1636 the 



said of general court of Massachusetts appropriated about 



What is 
eaic 
the 



founding OOe thousand dollars for founding of a college, 
vardcoi- which was accordingly established within the limits 

lege? 13 J 

of Newtown. In 1638 John Harvard bequeathed 
to the institution about three thousand dollars. In 
honor of the donor, it received the name of Har- 
vard College. 

what 27. In 1643 Massachusetts, Plymouth, Connecti- 

union of ' V " 

took nies CU ^ an d New Haven formed themselves into a con- 
fe e and federacy, called the "United Colonies of New Eng- 
purpose? land." Rhode Island, not willing to comply with 
the terms, was refused admission. This confede- 
racy, formed for mutual defense against the Indi- 
ans, French and Dutch, existed for more than forty 
years, and greatly strengthened the several settle- 
ments which were parties to it. 
what 28. The affairs of the confederacy were intrusted 

were the . 1 

col 



tions 



fedemcy? on y- Church. membership was the only qualifica- 
tion required for the office. The commissioners 



C!iap. III. 



UNION OF COLONIES. 



109 



; were to assemble annually to transact the public kj^q 

business of the colony. 
I 29. The contest in which the unfortunate Charles 
1 became engaged, and the revolution that followed, 
■ left the colonists, for the space of twenty years, What , s 
I nearly unmolested in the enjoyment of virtual 111- the pro- 
I dependence. Plenty prevailed throughout the set- jj® te c ° l0 * 
! tiements. The wigwams and hovels, in which the 
; English had first found shelter, were replaced by 
well-built houses. The number of emigrants, who 
had arrived in New England before the assembling 
of the Long Parliament, is esteemed to have been 
i twenty-one thousand, two hundred. In a little 
. more than ten years, fifty towns and villages had 
been planted; between thirty and forty churches 
I built; and strangers, as they gazed, could but 

i acknowledge God's blessing on the endeavors of the 
planters. 

30. In 1656 several Quakers arrived in the colo- what l9 
■my, whose conduct gave great offence to the rigid : he Qua- 

Puritans. A law was passed banishing them from 
Uhe colony, and imposing the sentence of death 

ii upon those who should return. Several were exe 

• cuted before this unjust and cruel law was repealed. 

31. In 1660 Charles II. ascended the throne, and 

was reluctantly acknowledged by the colonies in tKo?o J 

• New England. They apprehended, with ^ood rea- prebend 
son, the loss of their civil and religious privileges. ^ n ' f 

I I The regicides who had condemned Charles I. to u? reH 
death were sentenced to die, and all fell upon the 

. scaffold excepting three, who escaped to America. 

: i Their names were Edward Whalley, William Goffe 
and John Dixwell. Whalley and Goffe arrive:! in 



110 



MASSACHUSETTS. 



Pan t. 



1661 Boston, where Endicott, the governor, received them 
what is Wltn courtesy. For nearly a year they resided, 
the regi- unmolested, within the limits of Massachusetts ; 
judges? but when warrants arrived from England for their 
i66i apprehension, they fled aeross the country to New 
Haven, where it was considered a crime against 
God to betray the wanderer or give up the outcast. 
Yet such diligent search was made for them, that 
they were never in security. For a time they re- 
moved in secrecy from house to house ; sometimes 
concealed themselves in a mill, sometimes in clefts 
of rocks by the sea-side, and for weeks together 
they dwelt in a cave near New Haven, which is 
still called the "Regicides' Cave." Great rewards 
were offered for their apprehension. Indians, as 
well as English, were urged to scour the woods in 
search of their hiding-place, as men hunt for the 
holes of foxes. 

32. When the zeal of the search was nearly 
over, they retired to a little village on the Sound. 
tS7rl lr fu " till at last they escaped by night to an appointed 
* es? place in Had ley ; and the solitude of the most 
beautiful valley of New England gave shelter to 
their wearisome and declining age. At New Haven 
two graves are now shown, said to be those of the 
two judges. Their bodies were probably removed 
to this place from Hadley. 

John Dixwell was more fortunate. Changing 
his name, he became absorbed among the inhabit- 
ants of New Haven, and lived undiscovered. 

How did . 5 

workup- 33. The growing and prosperous condition of the 
PKwperi- colonies soon excited the avarice and jealousy of 
colonies? the government at home ; and they were not long 



Cliap. Ill THE ROYAL COMMISSIONERS. 1L1 

m renewing those commercial restrictions, from i6oi 
which they had been exempt during the time of 
the commonwealth. 

34. The importation of European commodities vhatty . 
into the colonies, except in English ships from Eng- 3a- 

' r 3 1 . tions did 

land, was prohibited ; the harbors were shut against l ^H e , 
the Dutch and every foreign vessel, and the colo- 
nists were even forbidden to manufacture those 1663. 
articles for their own wants, which might in any 
manner compete with the English. Thus were 
the commercial liberties of the rising States shack- 
led and the principles of natural justice subjected 
to the fears and avarice of the English people. 

35. In 1664 a fleet, equipped for the reduction l66L 
of the Dutch settlements on the Hudson, arrived 
tit Boston, bearing three commissioners charged to said < 



"What is 
said of 

investigate the manner in which the provisions of vai of 

the royal 
commis- 
sioners ? 



the charters of New England had been exercised ; ^ mn 
with full authority to provide for the peace of the 
country, according to the royal instructions and 
their own discretion. 

36. The colonists, viewing the appointment of 
the commissioners as uncalled for, and a violation 
of their charter, paid but little attention to theii 
acts. Massachusetts, from the first, descried the 
approach of tyranny ; and, professing sincere loy- 
alty, refused to acknowledge their authority, and 
protested against the exercise of it within their 
limits. In Connecticut and Rhode Island they re- 
c-eived more favor ; but in Plymouth they were met 
with bold, decided opposition. Finding it impossi- 
ble to accomplish any thing, they were in a short 
time recalled. 



MASSACHUSETTS. 



Pint 1. 



1675 37. King Philip's War. Up to the breaking 
out of King Philip's war. the New England colo- 
nies continued to enjoy peace and prosperity. Their 



What 

ZTteo! population increased, and their settlements extend- 
nies pre- ed far in to the country : but the clearness of theii 

vious to J ' 

breaking S ^J was to De overcast by the clouds of war, and 
the quiet of their homes broken by the war-cry of 



out of the 
war 



the Indian and the dying shrieks of their wounded 
wives and children. 

38. In 1662 the aged Massasoit slept with his 
whowas Others, ana " his son Philip, of Pokanoket, succeed- 
Ssso^of ed him as chief over the allied tribes. During his 
Btj*" father's life, the treaty which had been made with 
the English shortly after their arrival remained 
unbroken ; but after his death, the feelings of the 
Indians were changed to hatred toward a race who 
were dispossessing them of their rich territory, and 
turning their beautiful hunting-grounds into pas- 
tures. Shortly after, an Indian missionary was 
found murdered. Three Indians w T ere identified, 

What ' 

feTto 3 seized, tried by a jury, of which one-half were In- 
th,s war? dians, and, on conviction, were hanged. The 
young men of the tribe panted for revenge, and 
urged Philip to commence a war against the whites. 
Yielding at length to their entreaties, he sent the 
women and children to the Narragansetts for pro- 
tection, and in July, 1675, attacked the English at 
Swanzey, killing a number of men. 
What 39. Philip was thus hurried into hostilities, and 
befogs* ne i s reported to have wept as he heard that a 
2n th? 1 * white man's blood had been shed. Against his 

com- i 

™ento f judgment and his will, he was involved in war. 
fie?? 1 " He had no prospect of success. Destiny had 



Chap. III. 



king Philip's war. 



113 



marked him and his tribe. The English were 
united ; the Indians had no alliance. The Eng- 
lish had sure supplies of food ; the Indians might 
easily lose their precarious stores. The individual 
giowing giddy by danger, rushes as it were toward 
his fate. So did the Indians of New England. 
Frenzy prompted their rising. It was but the 
storm in which the ancient inhabitants of the land 
were to pass away. They rose without hope, and, 
therefore, fought without mercy. For them, as a 
nation, there was no to-morrow. 

40. At the very beginning of danerer, the colo- what 

i , • i ~wt , , steps dU 

nists exerted their wonted energy. Volunteers irom the coio- 

°«' nists 

Massachusetts joined the troops from Plymouth, S^'hat 1 
and within a week from the commencement of were the 
hostilities, the insulated Pokanokets were driven attacked* 
from Mount Hope. 

41. During the same month they were attacked 
in a swamp at Pocasset, now Tiverton, but repulsed 
their enemy with considerable slaughter. Soon 
after, they fled westward and united with the Nip- 
mucks, a tribe in the central part of Massachusetts, 
which Philip had induced to ioin him in his War prosecu- 

II- J . tion of 

against the whites. Philip possessed a strong m- ,hewarf 
fluence over most of the New England tribes; and 
now, banished from his patrimony, where the pil- 
grims found a friend, and from his cabin, which 
had sheltered the exiles, he, together with his war- 
riors, spread through the country, awakening their 
brethren to a warfare of extermination. In a short 
time a large number had joined his forces, and 
now commenced a war which, for cruelty and suf- 
fering, is unparalleled in colonial history. 

8 



What is 
said of 
the union 
the 



114 



MASSACHUSETTS. 



Part I. 



16T5 42. The Indians, fleet of foot, and conversant 
what of with all the paths of the forest, never met the Eng 
manner lish in open fie ] d, but hovered around their paths 
fare and and shot them down from places of concealment. 

their cm- 1 

eities? Exploring parties were waylaid and cut ofT, and 
the mangled carcasses and disjointed limbs of the 
dead were hung upon the trees, to terrify pursuers. 
The laborer in the field, the reapers as they went 
forth to the harvest, men as they went to mill, were 
shot down by skulking foes, whose approach was 
invisible. 

43. The mother feared the tomahawk for herself 
and children and was often compelled to fly with 
her child in her arms. Men carried their fire-arms 
into the field and to church, and when they return- 
ed to their homes would frequently find their dwell- 
ings a heap of ruins. 

44. Brookfield was set on fire; Deerfield was 
Ks burned; Hadley, surprised during a time of reli- 
gious service, was saved only by the daring of 
GolFe, the regicide, now bowed with years, a heav- 
enly messenger, who darted from his hiding-place, 
rallied the disheartened, and having achieved a 
safe defense, sunk away into his retirement, to bp 
no more seen. 

45. On the 28th of the same month, as a corn- 
Describe pany of young men, under the command of Capt. 
pi'>!>dy at Lathrop, were conveying the harvests of Deerfield 
creek. t0 t h e i ower towns, they were surrounded by a 

horde of Indians and nearly all destroyed. The 
little stream that winds through the tranquil scene 
is called " Bloody Creek," to commemorate the mas- 
sacre of that day. 



were de 
sfroyed, 
Rnd to 
whom 
did Had- 
ley owe 
its pres- 
ervation? 



Ciiap. III. 



INDIAN MASSACRES. 



115 



46. Phinp, who had been prosecuting the war in i@7 5 
the western part of Massachusetts, having accom- 
plished all that could be done there, returned to Whos6 
Rhode Island, for the purpose of obtaining the aid philips 
of the Narragansetts. In this scheme he succeed- obtain, 
ed, and, with 3,000 Indians, fortified himself in the £jf^ e 
centre of an immense swamp in the southern part encamp 19 
of Rhode Island. The island on which he had 
stationed himself, he surrounded with palisades, 

and here, with plenty of provisions, considered him- 
self safe from any enemy. 

47. The English determined to attack him, and 
accordingly raised fifteen hundred men from the S£ 
colonies of Massachusetts, Plymouth and Connec- raised to 

' ^ oppose 

ticut, and sent them thither under the command him? 
of Josiah Winslow. On a stormy day in the month 
of December, after having spent a night in the 
open air, and waded a long distance through the 
snow, they arrived in front of the Indian camp. 

48. A body of water lay between the fort and 
the English, across which the trunk of a tree had 
fallen. Over this they endeavored to pass, but in 
making their way a large number was shot down. 
In the mean time, a small force having detached 
itself from the main body, passed around to the 
rear of the fort, and wading through the swamp, 
broke the feeble palisades, and rushing in, set fire 
to the cabins, and were immediately masters of the 
place. In this bloody battle, which continued for 
three hours, one thousand Indian warriors were 
killed, and a large number taken prisoners. Of 
the whites, six captains and eighty men were killed, 
and one hundred and fifty wounded. 



Describe 
the siege. 



116 



MASSACHUSETTS. 



Part I 



167 6 49- Winter had just commenced, and Philip, 
Inwhat with the remnant of his forces, now without shel- 
wlreThe ter from the cold, scattered themselves over the 
at d the s country, and burning with revenge, continued the 
ment e of war Wltri energy and spirit. Many a New Eng- 
ter e ? W1D " land village was clothed in mourning; many a 
what did town laid in ashes. Several detachments were sent 
out against him, under Capt. Church, of Plymouth, 

What 5 1 m 

5e% 8 and Capt. Dennison, of Connecticut, and during the 
Snst year, two or three thousand Indians were killed, or 
and with submitted. Philip refused to hear of peace, and 

what re- 1 1 ' 

suln was chased from one hiding-place to another. 

50. At length, after the absence of a year, he re- 
Describe solved to meet his destiny, and returned to the 
tives that beautiful land where were the graves of his fore- 
Phiijp's fathers, the cradle of his infancy, and the nestling- 
manner place of his tribe. Once he escaped narrowly, 
death. 8 leaving his wife and only son as prisoners. " Now," 

said he, in an agony of grief, a my heart breaks ; 
now I am ready to die." He was shortly after sur- 
rounded by a party under Capt. Church, and in 
attempting to fly was shot by a faithless Indian, 
who had deserted his chief and gone over to the 
English. 

51. His son, a prince cherished as the future 
sachem of the tribes, was sold into a bondage bit- 

whatbe- ter as death, and compelled to drag out his life as 
ITson a slave, under the sun of Bermuda. So perished 
remnant the princes of the Pokanokets. After the death 

of his fol' 1 

lowers? f philip, the remnant of his followers either sub- 
mitted to the English or united with distant tribes. 

52. During the war more than six hundred 
houses were burned, and six hundred men perished 



Chap. III. 



ROYAL GOVERNOR. 



117 



Edward 
Ran- 
dolph ? 



in the field. There was scarcely a family in the i6?s 

colony, from which death had not selected a victim. What is 

Although burthened with a heavy debt, which had |&? i 

been contracted daring the war, they refused to 6 Mar 

apply to England for assistance. This omission what of 
ri _ J p _ the ex- 

excited surprise and jealousy. "You act," said a penses? 

privy counselor, "as though you were independent 

of our master's crown, and though poor, yet you 

are proud." 

53. The people of Massachusetts, believing that 

the commercial restrictions which had been impo- Se W co1o- 
sed on them at different times, were unjust and a treat the 

J commer- 

violation of their charter, paid but little attention f$\ c . x& - 
to them. This had given great offence to the tlons? 
mother-country, -and in 1681 Edward Randolph Whato , 
was sent over as inspector of the customs of New i; 
England. He was strongly opposed by the colo- 
nists, and in a short time returned. This disobe- 
dience served as a pretext for the king to enter iSm^and 
upon a design which he had long; entertained of was n it 
taking away the charter from the colony ; but in gg,^ 
1685 he died, leaving his scheme to be completed 
by his successor, James II. 

54. In 1686 the charter of Massachusetts was 
taken away, and Sir Edmund Andros appointed 16ss ' 
governor of all New England. One after another, 
the colonies reluctantly submitted to this tool of an 
arbitrary king. His administration was full of acts 
of oppression, and so thoroughly was he hated by 
the colonists, that he was called the tyrant of New 
England. 

55. In 1689 intelligence reached Boston that 
James II. had been driven fro in his throne, and was 



What is 
said of 
Andros 
and his 
adminis 
tration i 



118 



MASSACHUSETTS. 



Part I. 



1689 succeeded by William, of Orange. They immedi- 
His im- atel y rushed to their arms, took possession of the 
me*u n ajid fort, seized Andros and other obnoxious individu- 
Engiand? als, sent them to England for trial, and again re- 
sumed their old form of government. 
y ha * 56. King William's War. James, on being 

was the ~ 

ilinfwL driven from England, repaired to France. This 
war? 8 nation espousing his cause, a war ensued between 
the two powers, which in a short time extended to 

What in- r ' 

roads of the colonies in North America. Tn 1689 the French 
anTiS- and Indians fell upon the northern colonies, and 
shortly the contest soon became general. During this 

followed b ° 

Since™" y ear ^ a j or Walden, with twenty persons, was slain 
thewafj at Dover, in New Hampshire. 

57. In the ensuing year, the settlement at Casco, 
in Maine, was attacked ; Schenectady, in New 

P edftio e n York, was burned, and its streets drenched with 

was sent ' 

tfe'lne- bi°°cL Massachusetts deemed it necessary to re- 
with and sort to retaliation, and fitted out an expedition 
raiti re under Sir William Phipps, which proceeded to Nova 
Scotia and captured Port Royal. The same year, 
Massachusetts and New York united their forces 
for the purpose of subjugating Canada. They 
proceeded to Quebec and attempted to reduce 
the place, but failed in their object and returned 
home. 

58. In 1692 a new charter was granted to Mas- 
When sachusetts, which added Plymouth, Maine and 

Nova Scotia to her territory. Sir William Phipps 
iKvhat was a PP omte d governor; and one of his first acts, 
ofihe" 6 on coming into power, was to institute a court to 



was 
new 
charter 



Bf 8t thl cte try the victims accused of witchcraft at Salem, 
governor? ^ England, the belief in witchcraft had be- 



Cliap. III. SALEM WITCHCRAFT. 119 

come so prevalent, that parliament had passed an ^$9 ? 
act punishing the crime with death. Under this Wha( ia 
law numbers had been tried and executed in that 
country, and two or three in Massachusetts. England, 

J ' and ils 

60. In Salem village, now Danvers, there had P"*^™ 
been, between Samuel Parris, the minister, and a colo,ues 
part of his people, a strife so bitter that it had even 
attracted the attention of the general court. The 
delusion of witchcraft would give opportunities of 
terrible vengeance. In February, 1692, his daugh- 
ter and niece began to have strange caprices. The 
physicians, who could make nothing of their con- 
tortions, pronounced them bewitched, in which 
opinion Mr. Parris concurred. An old Indian 
woman was whipped until she confessed herself a 
witch. Several private fasts were kept in the fam- 
ily, and a general fast throughout the colony. 

61. The delusion spread rapidly ; parents ac- 
cused their children, and children their parents, 
and a word from those supposed to be afflicted, oc- 
casioned the arrest of the devoted victim; so that 
the prisons were soon filled. 

62. At first, the victims were confined to the 
lower class ; but, emboldened by success, many of 
those moving in the higher circles were accused 
and convicted. Among the rest was a magistrate 
of great talent, and George Burroughs, a minister 
of unexceptionable character ; both were tried and 
executed. 

63. At length the eyes of community began be Howtm 
be opened; each felt alarm for himself, his family i T rm alb 
and friends, and they examined more closely 

into the nature of the evidence which was ad 



120 



MASSACHUSETTS. 



Pari 



1693 cluced. The current of popular opinion began to 
~ turn, and in a short time the governor reprieved 
those who were condemned, and directed that all 
who were in prison should be get at liberty. Du- 
ring the delusion twenty persons had been exe- 
cuted, fifty-five tortured, and several hundreds im- 
prisoned. 

when The hostilities between the French and Indians 

was 

cia a red de ' and the English continued until 1697, when peace 
England was declared between England and France. 

and 

France? 64. Q,ueen Anne's War. In 1701 England 



What 



became embroiled in a war with France and Spain, 
followed Hostilities immediately commenced in the colonies. 
mlnce m Deerfield was attacked, forty persons killed, and 

ment of ' 



Anne"s more than one hundred made prisoners. Scenes 
war? of cruelty and blood, like those we have just re- 
counted, were renewed in different parts of the col- 
onies. 

what 65. In 1710 New England, assisted by a fleet 
See in furnished by the mother-country, took possession 
of Port Royal, in Nova Scotia, and changed its 
what in name to Annapolis. In 1711 Admiral Walker, 
with fifteen ships of war and forty transports, car- 
rying a large number of troops, sailed from Boston 
for the purpose of subjugating Canada. Shortly 
after their departure nine of the transports were 
wrecked in a terrible storm, and more than one 
thousand men perished. 

66. Weakened and disheartened by this misfor- 

When J 

where tune, the admiral gave up the expedition and re- 
^fce turned to England. In 1713 peace was concluded 
Vudn.i? between France and England at Utrecht, and 
shortly after hostilities ceased with the Indians. 



onap. III. 



KING GEORGE'S WAR. 



12] 



For the space of thirty years from this time, till the 17 44 
commencement of King George's war in 1744, the 
settlements were unmolested by the Indians. 

67. During this time no event of importance oc- What ia 
stirred. Through the administration of three of theVng 
the royal governors, a bitter quarrel was carried on ggJJ^, 
between them and the representatives of the peo- 
ple. The governor insisted upon being allowed a 
permanent salary ; this the representatives objected 

to, but they finally consented to vote a certain sum 
annually in the room of it. 

68. King George's War. In 1744 the friendly i 7 «. 
relations which had for a time existed between 

What 

France and England, were broken by disputes rela- was the 

' j 1 cause oJ 

tive to Austria. War was declared between the geofge's 
two nations, and the French and English colonies war? 
in North America joined in the contest. 

69. The first important place which was attacked 
during the war was Louisburg, a French post 
strongly fortified, situated on Cape Breton. The what 
commerce and fisheries of the colonies suffered great fi ™* 

P place 

injury from privateers fitted out from this port ; and tackedl 
Governor Shirley of Massachusetts resolved on an ^ho 
enterprise for its reduction. The expedition was t'San? 
resolved upon in the legislature by a majority of 
one vote. 

70. Solicited to render assistance, New York sent 

a small supply of artillery, and Pennsylvania of vtjo 
provisions. New England furnished the men ; of f^f; 
whom Connecticut raised five hundred, New Hamp- 
shire three hundred and four, and Massachusetts 
three thousand volunteers. 

71. In April, 1745, these forces, under the com' 



122 



MASSACHUSETTS. 



1T45 mand of William Pepperell and Roger Wolcott, set 
Who sa il f° r Louisburg. Shortly after their arrival at 
manded Canseau, where they were detained a number of 

the 

fcis3 S .« days from the ice, they were fortunately joined by 
the squadron of Commodore Warren. On the 11th 
of May, an hour after sunrise, the combined forces 
came in sight of Louisburg. Its walls, raised on a 

Describe neck of land on the south side of the harbor, forty 

Louis- 7 J 

baTg - feet thick at the base, twenty to thirty feet high, 
were furnished with one hundred and one cannon 
seventy-six swivels, and six mortars ; its garrison 
was composed of sixteen hundred men. 

72. The day after the landing of the English, a 
detachment of four hundred men under William 
Vaughan marched by the city, and took post near 
the north-east corner. The French who held the 
royal battery, struck with panic, spiked the guns, 
and fled in the night. The English immediately 

descrip; took possession of it, removed the spikes from the 
•he siege. g UnSj and turned them upon the city. Batteries 
were erected at the west and south-west of the city, 
and the cannon dragged over the boggy morasses 
upon sledges, drawn by the men with straps over 
their shoulders. Another battery was erected near 
the north cape of the harbor, on the Light-house 
Cliff; while, within two hundred yards of the city 
trenches had been thrown up near an advanced 
post, which, with the guns from the royal battery, 
played upon the north-west gate of Louisburg. 

73. The Vigilant, a French ship of sixty-four 
guns, laden with military stores, was captured by 
the fleet under Warren within sight of the city 
On the 28th uf June the governor sent out a flag 



Cliap. IV. 



king george's war. 



123 



of trace, and surrendered the fortress and the whole 174.5 
island. This was the greatest success achieved by 
England during the war. France planned its re- JJS 
covery and the desolation of the English colonies ; did. 

J & 1 France 

but in 1746, the large fleet from France, under the f t " e r ™^. 
command of the Duke d'Anville, wasted by storms, ery? 
and shipwrecks, and pestilential diseases, was com- 
pelled to return without having struck a blow. 

74. The war was finally closed in 1748, by the when 
treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle, which restored all the ggjg^ 8 - 
territory acquired by either party during the war to 
its former possessors. Thus, with the exception 
of the expenditure of a vast amount of wealth, and 
the loss of many valuable lives, the two countries 
remained the same as at the commencement of 
hostilities. 



CHAPTER IV, 

NEW HAMPSHIRE. 

1. The colonial history of New Hampshire is vm. 
intimately blended with that of Massachusetts ; it 

J 1 What is 

having been a part of that colony until 1680, when ^' e d e ^ iy 
it was made a royal province by the king. A brief 
sketch of its separate history, therefore, will only shire? 
be necessary. 

When 

2. The first settlements were made in 1623 at and by 

whom 

Little Harbor and Dover, by a company of emi- 
giants sent out by Capt. John Mason and Sir Per- made? 19 



history oi 

New 

Hamp- 



124 



NEW HAMPSHIRE. 



Pari 1. 



162 s dinand Gorges, two influential members of the 
Plymouth council, from which they had just re- 
ceived large grants of land north of Massachu- 
setts. 

What , s 3 In 1629 Rev. John Wheelwright purchased 
IhevL the country between the Merrimac and Piscataqua 
w'heei- rivers, of the Indians. In the same year, but at a 
later date, tins territory, extending sixty miles back 
from the sea. was granted to Mason alone, and then 
first called New Hampshire. For several years 
each town remained distinct and independent ; but 
in 1641, fearing their own weakness, they placed 
themselves under the protection of Massachusetts. 
1675. ^ j n 1675 Robert Mason, a grandson of John 
what is Mason, applied to the king to obtain possession of 

said of . . .. . 

Robert the territory granted to his ancestor. Notice was 

Mason? •> » 

given to Massachusetts, and the parties heard by 
the king, but no decision given to affect the land 



What of 
New 
H<unp- 



titles. In 1680 New Hampshire became a separate 
5:?™ as a province, to be governed by a president and council 

separate r . D 

province? appointed by the king, and a house of representa- 
tives chosen by the people, 
leso. 5. In 16S0 the first assembly met at Portsmouth, 
and adopted a code of laws, which declared, " that 
no act, imposition, law or ordinance should be im- 
posed upon the inhabitants of the province, but 
such as should be made by the assembly and ap- 
proved by the president of the council," 

6. In the following year, Robert Mason arrived in 
the colony, and assuming the title of lord protector, 
Si'Vl' laid claim to all the lands grained to his grand- 
father. The colonists refused to acknowledge these 
claims, and although Mason frequently prosecuted 



Mason's 
claims? 



Cliap. IV. 



mason's claims. 



125 



them, yet he was never able to recover anything, 
so very unpopular had he become. 

7. In 1690 New Hampshire united with Massa- 
chusetts, but at the expiration of two years separated 
from her, and was formed into a royal province. 
They were again united in 1699, and continued 
under one governor, having separate legislative as- 
semblies, until 1741. 

8. The heirs of Mason, in 1691, weary with the 
contention to which their claims to lands in New Sfof 13 
Hampshire gave ri se sold them to Samuel Allen : of Ma- 

1 ° ' ' son's 

but he was as unsuccessful in obtaining rents from claims? 
them as his predecessor. In 1746 one of the 
descendants of Mason renewed the original claim, renewal 
and conveved the territory granted to his ancestor of then 
to twelve persons for fifteen hundred pounds. These 
persons, in a short time, voluntarily relinquished 
their claim to lands already occupied. 

9. From this time, the vexed land disputes ceased, 

and the people settled down in the quiet enjoy- what u 
ment of their possessions. New Hampshire suffer- SKf 
ed alike, with many of the other colonies, during" Hamp 

shire? 

i the bloody French and Indian wars ; but as we 
have already noticed them in another place, it will 
not be necessary to recapitulate here. 



126 



CONNECTICUT. 



Part I. 



163Q 

CHAPTER V. 

CONNECTICUT. 



1. In 1630 the territory of Connecticut wag 
granted by the Plymouth council to the Earl of 
Sifof 8 Warwick, and transferred by him in 1631 to Lord 
grant fi of Say and Seal, Lord Brooke, John Hampden and 
?icuu c ' others. The grant extended from the Atlantic 
westward to the Pacific ocean. The same year, 
what the Indians living in the valley of Connecticut, 
d!d Iin the wishing to cultivate a friendly feeling with the 
Sfeso English, invited the Plymouth colony to make a 
settlement on their lands. Governor Winslow ac- 
cordingly visited the country and selected Windsoi 
as the site of their future settlement, 
less. 2. The Dutch at New York, when informed of 
What this project of the English, determined to secure 
steeps did tne territory for themselves, and sent out a party in 
K to 1633, who erected a slight fort at Hartford, on which 

secure 

torr> erri * tne y pl ante d two cannon. A few months later, in 
the same year, a company at Plymouth sent out 
in a small vessel, commanded by Capt. Holmes, 
materials for the erection of a trading-house at 
Windsor. 

3. As Holmes was sailing leisurely up the river 
what is P ast the fort at Hartford, he was hailed by the 
Holmes Dutch with " heave to, or we'll fire." " Fire if vou 

and 'he 7 J 

English dare," was the cool reply of Holmes, who was soon 
wmdsort out °f reach of their guns, and safe at Windsor, 
where the trading-house was immediately elected 



Chap. V. 



ARRIAAL OF WINTHROP. 



127 



In the following year, the Dutch sent a party of i6 34 
seventy to drive them from the country: but find- 
ing them strongly posted, they returned in peace. 

4. In the autumn of 1635, the younger Winthrop 
arrived from England, with a commission from the 
proprietors to erect a fort at the month of the Con- 
necticut river, and make the necessary prepara- 
tions for a settlement. Shortly after the fort Give a ° 

J account 

was erected, a party of Dutch arrived in vessels 2*25, 
from New York, but were not permitted to land, ibrt^at 

Say- 

The settlement was called Saybrook, in honor of b ro° k - 
the owners of the territory. 

5. During the summer of 1635, settlements had 
been made by emigrants from the environs of Boston 
at "Windsor and Weathersfield ; and late in the au- 
tumn, a company of sixty men, women and children, 
began their march to the west. The winter was so Describe 

early and severe, that provisions could not arrive by gratiolf"' 

J i • tVom 

the river, and the men suffered such privations that Mass&- 

r chusetu. 

many of them, in the depths of winter, waded 
through the snows to the sea-board. Early in the 
following spring, Rev. Thomas Hooker, with a com- 
pany of about one hundred, started from Cam- 
bridge, and proceeded through the wilderness until 
they arrived, after a journey of two weeks, at Hart- 
ford, where they formed a settlement. 

6. In the vicinity of the river Thames resided 

the Pequods. a fierce and warlike tribe, who had said of 

1 ' _ ' the Pe- 

frequently shown a hostile spirit toward the infant « uods? 
settlements. In 1636 they attacked and murdered 1636 
Mr. Oldham. An expedition was sent against them 
by Massachusetts, which was ineffectual, and only w£S£ 
served to excite their hatred and revenge. They whites! 



L2S 



CONNECTICUT. 



Part 1 



163T now sc ught an alliance with the Narragansetts ant. 
of their the Mohegans, that, by a general rising, they might 
edaiiP" sweep the hated intruders from the ancient hunt- 
witi^the ing-grounds of their race. The conspiracy was 
gansetts? di sso i vec i by the interference of Roger Williams, 
of the 7. In 1637 continued injuries and murders roused 
expedi- Q onnect j cut t0 ac tion, and the general court decreed 

acainst - . 

them? immediate war. A force of eighty English, prin- 
cipally from Connecticut, and seventy friendly Mo- 
hegans, was placed under the command of Captain 
John Mason, who, with this small force, sailed 
down the river, and shortly after, entered Narra 
gansett bay. Here they landed, and, guided by a 
Pequod deserter, proceeded across the country tn- 
S a * f ward the principal fort of their enern)^, situated on 
dian <©rt? the west side of the Mystic river, where they ar- 
rived about sunrise on the morning of the 5th of 
June. 

8. As they approached the fort a watch-dog gave 
the alarm, but before the Indians could fairly arouse 

of me at- themselves from their slumbers, Mason, followed by 

the k re" L his brave band, was in their midst, dealing his death- 
suit? ' ' ° 

blows around. The Indians rallied and fought their 

enemy hand to hand; but their bows and arrows 

could poorly resist weapons of steel. 

9. At length, Mason finding that victory was 
tardy on account of their superior numbers, shouted, 
"We must burn them," and cast a firebrand to the 
windward among the light mats of the Indian 
cabins. The English had ' hardly time to with- 
draw and surround the place, before the whole en- 
campment was ir. a blaze. If they attempted to 
escape from the burning inclosure, they were 



Chap. V. 



PEQ.UOD WAR. 



129 



cut down by the English swords. The carnage 163 7 
was complete. About six hundred Indians, men, 
women and children, perished, most of them in 
the conflagration. The work of destruction was 
finished in about an hour, with the loss of only 
two of the English soldiers. 

10. The remnant of the Pequod tribe was pur- 
sued into their hiding-places ; every wigwam was 
burned, and every corn-field laid waste. Their 
sachem was murdered by the Mohawks, to whom 

he had fled for protection ; and the few that sur- whaf be 
vived, about two hundred, were enslaved by the thfrem- 
English, or incorporated among the Mohegans and theVe 

071 ° ° quod 

Narragansetts. There remained not one of the tribe7 
Pequod name. A nation had disappeared from the 
family of men. From this time, the colonists en- 
ioyed for many years a season of peace and pros- 
perity. 

11. In 1638 a colony sprung up at New Haven, ms. 
under the guidance of the Rev. John Davenport 

° . r What is 

and Theophilus Eaton, who had arrived at Boston of 
the year before from Europe. Their first Sabbath [ffoV 
was spent in no temple reared by man, but under feTcS' 
a branching oak, while Davenport taught his little 
flock that, like the Son of Man, they were led into g° w £ a s { 
the wilderness to be tempted. gSf 1 

12. On the following day, they rested their gov- 
ernment upon the simple declaration, that " all of 
them would be ordered by the rules which the S^r 9 
Scriptures held forth to them ;" and when, on the govern 
succeeding year, some of the planters desired a 
more perfect form of government, they held their 
constituent assembly in a barn, and declared that 

9 



130 CONNECTICUT. 



Part 1. 



163 8 Bible should be their only law book, and that 
church members only should be free burgesses. 

13. Meanwhile their pleasant villages spread 
what of along the sound, undisturbed by the natives, of 
prosperi- whom the land had been fairly purchased. Mr. 

Eaton was annually elected governor of the colony 
for twenty years, until his death, and to his wise 
administration, under the providence of God, they 
were indebted for their unusual prosperity. 

14. In Jan., 1639, the freemen of the settlement? 
Sentoc- upon the Connecticut river, who had heretofore ac- 
i639^ din knowledged the authority of Massachusetts, assem- 
bled at Hartford, and adopted a constitution for 
themselves. It was ordained that the governor and 
all public officers should be elected annually by the 
people, and that in the assembly alone should lie 
the power of making or repealing laws. Thus did 
the colonists, by these wise regulations, early show 
their firm attachment to the principles of liberty 
and justice. 

15 A dispute, of so bitter a nature as to threaten 
hostilities, had long existed between the English 
and Dutch respecting the boundary line of their ter- 
ritories. In 1650 Governor Stuyvesant visited Hart- 
ford, and entered into a treaty with the English, in 
which the Dutch were to relinquish their claim to 
Dvftch. the territory of Connecticut, except the lands they 
actually occupied, 
.eeo. 16. Upon the overthrow of the Commonwealth 
and the re-establishment of Monarchy in England, 
the inhabitants of Connecticut proclaimed the new 
king, and petitioned through Winthrop, their Gov- 
ernor, for a royal charter. Winthrop repaired to 



Describe 
their 
Constitu- 
tion. 



Describe 
the trea' 
ly with 



Chap. V. 



ROYAL CHARTER. 



131 



England, and securing the interest of Lord Say and ieo£ 
Seal obtained an ample charter, confirming the con- HowwM 
stitution which they had previously adopted, and charter 1 
connecting- Hartford and New Haven in one colo- and what 

° was its 

ny, of which the limits extended from the Nana- ^ rae - 
gansett bay to the Pacific ocean. 

17. The sale of a portion of those lands has given 

to Connecticut its valuable school fund, through Sndwm 

derived 

which education is placed within the reach of all. froi ? a 

F portion 

For a number of years N ew Haven refused to unite fands e ? se 
with Hartford, but in 1665, fearful of being joined to 
some other colony, she reluctantly gave her consent. 

18. In 1687, Sir Edmund Andros arrived at Bos- 

' Who was 

ton with a commission from James appointing him edTpver- 
governor of all New England. In the autumn of i8°87? n 
the same year, he proceeded to Connecticut, attend- 

J ' r What, did 

ed by some of his council and an armed guard, and 5f an J e ; 
on his arrival, finding the assembly in session, de- 5al a [n " 
manded the immediate surrender of its charter. 

19. The assembly was alarmed, and pleaded Describe 

J 1 the scene 

long and earnestly for their cherished patent. The ^ d en- 
discussion was prolonged until late in the evening, 
when the charter was produced and laid on tne 
table, a large number of citizens being present. On 
a sudden the lights were extinguished, and when 
rekindled the charter had disappeared. Joseph 
Wadsworth had concealed the precious document 
in the hollow of an oak tree, which is still standing, 
and from this circumstance called the charter oak. 
Andros, however, assumed the government and con- Hqw 
tinned in his office until the dethronement of James, lon ° aicl 



Andros 
nine 



when he was deposed, and Connecticut resumed In "his 
her former government. « 



132 



CONNECTICUT. 



Part 1. 



1693 20. After this, no attempt to infringe upon her 
rights occurred until 1693, when Colonel Fletcher, 
For what wno na d been previously appointee 1 governor of 
Fteteher New York, with authority to take command of the 
Hartford? militia of Connecticut, appeared at Hartford and 
demanded that they should be placed under his 
command. This being contrary to the charter of 
the colony, the governor refused, but in compliance 
with his request, ordered the militia to assemble on 
the green. 

21. Fletcher now attempted to read his corn- 
Describe 

the mission, but Capt. Wadsworth ordered the drums to 

scene " r 

miiiti? 6 beat, so that nothing could be heard. Fletcher 
commanded silence and again began to read. 
" Drum, drum, I say," said Wadsworth, and the 
voice of the reader was again drowned in the noise. 
The colonel again demanded silence, and Wads- 
worth again shouted, " Drum, drum," then turning to 
Fletcher with meaning in his looks, he said, "if I am 
interrupted again, I will make the sun shine through 
you in a moment." Deeming it unwise to contend 
with such a spirit, Fletcher returned to New York, 
and never again troubled Capt. Wadsworth or the 
Connecticut militia. 

22. Education was cherished in Connecticut as 
the great source of freedom, and religious knowledge 
carried to the highest degree of perfection. In 1700 

B3ui a of s Yale College was founded at Saybrook by a party 
the w °f clergymen, but was soon after removed to New 
ySe 3 " of Haven. It derived its name from Elihu Yale, who 
"° llege? made seve-al donations to the institution. For 
nearly a century, with transient interruptions, the 
republican institutions of Connecticut were un- 



Chap. VI. ROGER WILLIAMS. 133 

harmed, and peace and prosperity were within its icse 
borders. 



CHAPTER VI. 

RHODE ISLAND. 

1. Roger Williams, the pastor of a church in WhoWM 
Salem, Massachusetts, having rendered himself Sunder 
obnoxious to the Puritans from certain religious ffid°? e 
views which he entertained, was banished from 

the colony. Early in 1636, he left Salem in winter, i636. 
during snowy and inclement weather, of which he Whatled 
remembered the severity in his old age. For fourteen 
weeks he wandered in the wilderness, often without ^m 
a guide, and with no house but a hollow tree. But chusetu 
he was not without friends, for Massasoit and Ca- 

' Describe 

nonicus, whose cause he had advocated, welcomed J^ our * 
him with w r arm hearts to their cabins. Until his 
death, he remained the firm friend of their tribes, 
and was ever regarded by them with the warmest 
affection. 

2. He first commenced a settlement at Seekonk, where 
but was soon informed by Governor Winthrop, that first com 

J 1 7 mence a 

he was within the patent of Plymouth, and advised ^JJf" 
to steer his course to the Narragansett bay. He ftS* 
accordingly with five companions, embarked in a remove* 
frail canoe, and sailed down the Narragansett 

Where 

river, until he reached Moshassuck. where he land- did he at 

' ' length 

ed, and having bought the land of the Indians, gjjjjj^ 
formed his settlement, which in token of his un- SISLmi 



134 



RHODE ISLAND. 



Part 1 



1636 broken confidence in the mercies of God he called 

Providence. 

3. He founded the colony on the broadest principles 
of civil and religious liberty, making his govern- 
whatis ment a pure democracy, where the will of the ma- 

said of r J 1 

[hejeg^jority should govern the State in civil things, God 
ny e a C n°d Io ~ alone being respected as the ruler of conscience, 
acter of He labored long and earnestly for the temporal and 
Uams? spiritual good of the Indians, and manifested a 
friendly feeling toward the people of Massachusetts, 
who had banished him, giving them the first inti- 
mation of the conspiracy of the Pequods for their 
destruction, and at the peri] of his own life, went 
among the hostile tribes and succeeded in breaking 
up their designs. 
1638. 4. In 1638, William Coddington and seventeen 
others, di iven by religious persecution from Massa- 
chusetts, formed a settlement at Portsmouth, upon 
the island of Aquetnac, now called Rhode Island, 



What is 
said of 
the set- 
tlement 
on the 

Aquet- which they had purchased from the Indians. Cod- 
dington was chosen governor. The toleration of 
all Christian sects and the democracy of the gov- 
ernment attracted many emigrants from the adja- 
cent settlements. Newport was founded the next 
year, and the settlements on this beautiful island 
rapidly increased. 

5. As yet, Rhode Island had no royal charter, and 
when the New England colonies formed theii 

y a h / this memorable confederacy in 1643, she was, refused 

refused 

admittance unless she would submit to the juris- 
lance in- diction of Plvmouth. This she declined doing:, 

to the . y . & ' 

Sand P re f en ' m g t0 remain in her present state, rather 
raS e ? de " than in one of dependence. In the following 



Cbap. VI. 



ROY^L CHARTER 



135 



year, Williams having visited England for that pur- 1(54 4 
pose obtained of the Plymouth Company a patent 
of the territory, and permission to institute a 
government for the colonists. In 1647, delegates 
elected by the people, held a general assembly at 
Portsmouth, organized their government, and es- 
tablished a code of laws. 

6. In 1663, Rhode Island and Providence 
plantations obtained a royal charter, which con- what is 

r . said «,f 

tinued in force with but one short mterrup- * e a ™ J r '* ! 
tion until 1842. The governor, members of the 
legislature, and all public officers, were to be 
elected by freemen, and no person within the col- 
ony could be molested or called in question for an}^ 
difference in opinion in matters of religion. 

1 & What is 

7. When Andros became governor over the New ^dmsi 
England colonies, he dissolved the charter govern- 
ment of Rhode Island, but three years after when 
deposed from his office, the freemen assembled at 
Newport, and resumed their old charter. In 1730, Brown 
Brown University was founded by Nicholas sity? 
Brown, who gave to the institution five thousand 
dollars. 



LANDING OF THE DUTCH. 



1609 

CHAPTER VII. 

NEW YORK. 

what 1. One great object in the voyages of the early 

was the it- 

object of navigators was the discovery 01 a western passage 
to the East Indies much shorter and more safe than 
the one then known. In pursuit of this passage, 



Cliap. VII. EARLY SETTLEMENTS. 137 

Henry Hudson made two voyages in the service of 3 60s 
a company of London merchants, but being unsuc- Inwh0Sb 
cessfnl, his employers ^ave up the attempt in IdHud- 

1 J ° son make 

despair. Jg££- 

2. Hudson, still confident of success, now entered " v j^ t 
the service of the Dutch East India Company and s,uccesa 
in 1609. sailed on his third voyage. He reached in whose 

S6TV1CC 

the continent in the vicinity of Newfoundland, pro- ^ n h « n . 
ceeded south along the coast to Virginia, then ten 
turning to the north, on the thirteenth day of Sep- what i S 
tember he anchored within Sandy Hook, where he third 
remained a week, and then entered the harbor and 
sailed up the river as far as the present city of 
Albany. Having completed his discovery, he de- 
scended the stream to which time has given his 
name and sailed for Europe.* 

3. Shortly after, a vessel was fitted out by a com- 
pany of merchants at Amsterdam and sent out to W hat of 
traffic with the natives. "When Arsrell in 1613, re- seta? 5 * 
turning from his piratical excursion against the set- 
tlements at Port Royal, entered the waters of New 
York, he found on the island of Manhattan a num- 
ber of hovels erected by these Dutch mariners and 
traders. His larger force made him, while he re- 
mained, lord of the island, but as he retired, the 
Dutch continued their profitable traffic, and in the 



* Hudson, shortly after his return, sailed on another voyage 
to discover a western passage, in the employment or a company 
of English merchants. Sailing north into the Arctic ocean, he 
searched through a gloomy winter in rain. At length provi- 
sions were nearly exhausted, and his crew broke forth into mu- 
tiny. Hudson was seized, and, with his son, thrown into a 
small boat and left to perish* He never was heard of afterward. 



138 



NEW YORK. 



Part I. 



1614 following year having received reinforcements, erect- 
ed Fort Amsterdam on the south end of the island. 



Fort Am- 
sterdam 



and Fort Emigrants from Holland frequently arrived, and in 
1615, a settlement was commenced at Albany, and 
Fort Orange erected. 

4. In 1621, the Dutch West India Company was 



What 
was the 

fhg nt of formed, and immediately received a grant of a large 
Kin- tract of country on both sides of the Hudson, ex- 

dia Com- J 

pany? tending from the Connecticut river on the north to 
the Delaware river on the south. The territory was 
called New Netherlands. In 1623, Cornelius Mey 
ascended the Delaware river, and on Timber Creek, 
Sf at did where it enters the Delaware a few miles below 
eJect? Camden, erected Fort Nassau. Two years after, 
Peter Minuits the commercial agent of the West 
, India Company, arrived at Manhattan with the 

What of . 

Minuits? commission of governor, which office he held for 
six years. 

5. For a considerable length of time, a friendly 
feeling existed between the Dutch and the Pilgrims. 
The latter were invited to remove to the rich mead-' 
ows of the Connecticut, and they in their turn re- 
ciprocated the kindness of the former in many ways. 

These were the rude beginnings of New York. 
Tts first age was the age of hunters and Indian 
traders ; of traffic in the skins of beavers and otters. 
Describe It was the day of straw roofs, and wooden chim- 
Vork as neys, and windmills. The straw-roofed cottages 

it was . 

™f s as and uncultivated grounds on the island of Manhat- 
tan, in little more than two centuries, have g/ven 
place to the marble mansions of the rich and the 
crowded streets of the metropolis of the Jew 
World. 



What is 
said of 
the Pil- 
grims 
und the 
Dutch 1 



EARLY SETTLEMENTS. 



139 



6. The sombre forests which met the eye of Hud- j G2 9 
son as he sailed up the river that bears his name, 
have passed away, and in their place w r e behold cul- 
tivated fields and smiling villages. The vast wil- 
derness traversed only by wild oeasts and savage 
men, its silence unbroken save by their cry, 

is now penetrated in every direction by railroads 
and canals, and its rivers and lakes resound with 
the breathings of the steam-engine, as it impels 
floating palaces, conveying the busy traveler and the 
rich products of the soil to their destination. Such 
are the changes which have been brought about by 
the action of mind upon matter. 

7. In 1629, a new company was formed in Hol- 
land, called the "College of nineteen." By the what ot 

' & J the regu- 

regulations of this company, every one who would [fjj ^ 
emigrate on his own account, was entitled to as Nf n e e of 
much land as he could cultivate. He that within teen? 
four years would plant a colony of fifty souls, be- 
came Lord of the Manor, or JPatroon, possessing in 
absolute property the land he colonized, which 
might extend sixteen miles in length ; yet it was 
stipulated that the soil must be purchased of the 
Indians. 

8. Under these regulations several settlements 
were formed. Five Indian chiefs, in return for 
parcels of goods, conveyed the land from Albany Zhtl 
to the mouth of the Mohawk to the agent of Van were" 

& formed? 

Rensselaer, and a few years afterward, the pur- 
chase was extended twelve miles farther south. 

9. In 1631, De Vriez conducted from Holland a 1631 - 
colony, which settled at Lewistown, near the Dela- 
ware. After a residence of a year in America, De 



140 



NEW YORK. 



Part I. 



1632 "Vriez sailed for Holland, leaving his colony to the 
what of care °f Asset. At the close of the year he returned, 
£?«i his ez and found the soil he had planted strewn with the 
colon}? k ones f Yiis countrymen. The Indians had at- 
tacked the settlement, and nearly all had been de- 
stroyed. In the following spring, De Vriez sailed 
to New Amsterdam, where he found Wouter Van 
Twiller, who had been recently appointed Gov- 
ernor in the place of Minuits. 
what 10. The Dutch laid claim to a large portion of 
cause of the territory of Connecticut, and had early occupied 

the quar- J 7 

^Jeen 6 " tne so ^ anc * erected a fort in the vicinity of Hart- 
S"and ford. But the swarms of English in Connecticut 
Dutch, grew so numerous as not only to overwhelm the 

and how ° ~ 

denied? f eeD i e settlement at that place, but to invade the 
less doubtful territories of New Netherlands. A 
bitter quarrel ensued, which continued until 1650. 
when Peter Stuyvesant, the governor of New Ne 
therlands, met the commissioners of the New Eng- 
land colonies a. Hartford, where a line of partition 
between their territories was fixed by mutual agree- 
S a the ment. Long Island was divided between them, 
boundary on t ^ e m ain-land, New Netherlands was al- 
lowed to extend to Greenwich near the present 
boundary. 

11. While encroachments were thus beinsr made 

o 

what is upon the Dutch in the east, a new cause of trouble 
the d fOT- arose in the west. Gustavus Adolphus, the King 



tion 
of the 
Swedish 



of Sweden, had long cherished the plan of forming 
colony? a co i on y j n America, which should be a blessing to 
the whole Protestant world. After his death in 
1633, his minister revived the plan, but more than 



Cf»ap. II. 



NEW SWEDEN. 



141 



four years passed away before the design was car 1(539 
ried into effect. 

12. In 1638, the Swedish colony under Minuits was. 
the former governor of New Netherlands, arrived 

in the Delaware bay ; purchased the lands of the 
natives, from the southern cape to the falls in the 
river near Trenton, and not far from the mouth of 
Christiana creek erected Christiana fort. Dela- 
ware was colonized, and notwithstanding the oppo- 
sition of Kieft, the Dutch governor, for a consider- 
able length of time prospered and increased in pop- 
ulation. The banks of the Delaware, from the 
ocean to the falls, were known as New Sweden. 

13. While the limits of New Netherlands were 
narrowed by competitors on the east, on the 
south, the colony was almost annihilated by the 
vengeance of the neighboring Algonquin tribes. SfoF 
Ram had been freely sold to the Indians, and un- tiuties 

J ' with th« 

der its influence many outrages were committed. Indians? 

One of the Manhattan Indians had killed a Hol- 
lander, and Kieft demanded the murderer. An 
a-ngry quarrel ensued. Shortly after the Mohawks 
came down upon the Manhattans, when in terror 
they begged the Dutch to assist them. The bar- 
barous Kieft sent his troops, and at night murdered 
them all, men, women and helpless children, to the Kiett? 
number of a hundred. 

14. Every Algonquin tribe around Manhattan 
burned with the frenzy of revenge. No English Describe 
family within their reach was safe. The Dutch g e t ss w °£ 
villages were in flames, and the people fleeing to cioL lts 
Holland. At length, through the intervention of 
Roger Williams, peace was restored. But hostiSi 



l42 'NEW YORK. p ar t i. 

164:5 ties soon recommenced. Capt. Underhill "was ap- 
pointed commander of the Dutch troops. The war 
continued two years, when it was brought to a 
close through the influence of the Mohawks, who 
claimed a sovereignty over the Algonquins. 

15. Great was the joy of the colony on the return 
of peace. The policy of the infamous Kieft was 
disavowed by the West India Company, and he re- 
whatbe- moved from office. Two years after he embarked 
Kieft? for Europe in a richly laden vessel ; but the ship, 
unable to breast the fury of elements, as merciless 
as his own passions, was dashed in pieces on the 
coast of Wales, and the guilty Kieft was over- 
whelmed by the waves. 
164 - 16. Peter Stuyvesant succeeded Kieft as gover- 
nor of the colony, and with the commencement of 
Zvo^ his wise administration a better day dawned on 
place. New Netherlands. During his administration, 

and what o ' 



his ad- 
ministra- 
tion ? 



What 



English were amicably arranged, mention of which 
has already been made. In 1651, Stuyvesant, from 
motives of commercial security, built Fort Casimer 
erected 3 on tne s ^ e °^ Newcastle, within five miles of Chris- 
wti h it w tiana, where the Swedish fort was situated. The 
destroy g we( j governor, looking upon this as an encroach- 
ment by means of stratagem, overpowered the gar- 
rison and took possession of the fort. 

17. Stuyvesant determined to punish them, and 
in September, 1655, at the head of a force of six 
hundred men, sailed into the Delaware for the pur- 
pose of conquest. Resistance was unavailing, and 
one after another of the Swedish forts surrendered, 



What did 
this lead 



Chap. VII. GRANT OF THE DUKE OF YORK. 143 



until the whole country was in the hands of the iee t 
Dutch. Such was the end of New Sweden. To 

18. New Netherlands soon fell into other hands, 

Nether 

for in 1664, Charles II. granted the whole of the lands 

1 ° granted 

territory, from the Connecticut to the Delaware in 16647 
fiver, to his brother, the Duke of York and Albany. 
The same year, the Duke dispatched three ships 
for his new possessions, under the command of 
Col. Richard Nichols. 

19. In August, Nichols arrived in the harbor what 
of New Amsterdam, and immediately demanded a 
surrender of the territory to his English majesty. n^is 
Governor Stuyvesant being unprepared for defense, nor? 
was compelled to comply with the demand, and the 
whole country passed into the hands of the Eng- To whal 
lish. In honor of the Duke, the name of New ZlmA 
Amsterdam was changed to New York, and Fort Amster- 

in TVT- i , dam and 

Orange to Albany. Nichols assumed the govern- Fon^ 
ment, and continued for three years to rule over it chan ^ ed? 
with absolute power, but with great integrity and 
moderation. Upon his return to England in 1667, v - h0 was 
he was succeeded bv Lovelace, who administered c^ssc of 

J 1 . Nichols? 

the government with equal moderation. 

20. In 1672, war broke out between England what 
and Holland, and in the following year a few Dutch 1,1 
ships were sent to reconquer their old territory, in * h | iHng 
America. Arriving in New York bay, John Man- ° v u a t 1 °f )e a 
ning, who had charge of the fort, sent down and Sand 
covertly made terms with the enemy. The Dutch fand? 
immediately sailed up the harbor and took posses- 
sion of the fort and city without firing a single gun. 
The next year, peace was concluded, and the coun- lGr4, 
try was restored to the English. 



144 NEW 140RK. Part j 

1674 21. The Duke of York obtained a new patent, 
who was confirming- his former grant, and appointed Edmund 



appoint- 
ed gover- 
nor under 
the new 
patent ? 



When 
was 
Dongan 
appoint 
ed gover- 
nor? 



Andros, afterward known as the tyrant of New 
England, governor of his possessions in America. 
During the administration of Andros and that of 
his successor, Anthony Brockholst, no event worthy 
of particular notice occurred in the colony. 

In 1682, Colonel Thomas Dongean, a Roman 
Catholic, was appointed governor, and on the fol- 
; lowing year arrived at the colony. Heretofore the 
governor and council had possessed absolute power, 
but now Dongan was directed to call an assembly 
of representatives. 
waTthe 22. Early in October, the first assembly consist- 
tajfinf ing of the council and eighteen representatives met 
riveM- and formed a " Charter of Liberties.'''' The leeris- 

gen.bly? J & 

lature was hereafter to possess the sole power of 
enacting laws and levying taxes, but the laws 
could have no force, until ratified by the Duke. 
With these just regulations the people were grati- 
fied and contented. In 1684, a treaty of peace was 
renewed with the Five Nations, from which time 
it continued unbroken for a number of years. 
How was 23. In 1685, the Duke of York ascended the 

James II. 

Kythe tnrone °f England, with the title of James II. 
colonists? Claiming unlimited authority as king, and a big- 
oted Catholic in religion, he was feared and hated 
by a large majority of the colonists, who were 
Protestants, and who, on account of the oppressive 
acts of himself and governor, began to tremble for 
they their religion. Great, therefore, was their joy when 
in 1689, they received intelligence that the people 



With 

wiat 
frelin<rs 



bear ot 
his de 
throne- 
mcnf i 



Claap. VII. LEISLER AND MILBORNE. 145 

of England had determined to dethrone James, 
and offer the Town to William and Mary. 

24. Jacob Leisler an active militia captain, Whatia 



said of 
•erJ 



placed himself at the head of a few men, declared i!e 
for William and Mary, and took possession of the 
fort of New York. Milborne, his son-in-law, pro- 
ceeded to Albany and made himself master of the 

place. These proceedings, at first, were discounte- 

,1 , • ii Whalw 

nanced by the magistrates, and the more respecta- gj^jl 

ble part of the citizens, but in a short time his £ me l ? 

force increased to more than five hundred men, 

sufficient in strength to put down ail opposition. 

25. Before the breaking out of these disturban- 
ces, Dong an had sailed for England. Nicholson, 

his successor, unable to contend with Leisler, ab- Le'sier 

> _ ' think 

sconded in the night. Shortly after a letter arrived i^m- 
from the ministry in England, conferring authority assume 
on whoever administered the laws of the prov- emment, 
ince, to perform all the duties of lieutenant-gov- 
ernor. Leisler considered this letter as addressed 
to himself, and assumed the authority conferred. 

The assumption of power on the part of Leisler, 
and his arbitrary and unjust measures, created in what 

• -i > • ■ was the 

the minds oi many a violent animosity toward him, gfjjj, 

26. During these troubles in the colony, war was 



What ef- 
fect had 

declared between England and France, and hostili- laration 

& ' of war 

ties soon after commenced between the French and ^ w ^ e ef ' 



Indians on the north, and the English. Schenectady f" n d d h" 8 

was burned, sixty of the inhabitants were killed, nieV?°° 

and twenty-five made prisoners. To avenge these w«. 

barbarities and others perpetrated in New England, SXri- 

ii was resolved to attack the French in Canada, commit™ 
10 ted? 



146 



NEW YORK. 



Part 1. 



1690 Two expeditions were formed, one under Sir 
what William Phipps to proceed by sea, the other by the 
tions dl " way of Lake Champlain, but both were unsuc- 

planned? r , 

cessiul. 

apSnt* ^ n 1691, Henry Sloughter was appointed by 

n 2r g< in er ' tne K m g? Governor of New York. Never was a 
16913 governor more necessary to a province ; but it would 
have been almost impossible for the king to have 
what is selected one less qualified for the station than 
him ? Sloughter. He refused to treat with Leisler ; but 
put him with many of his companions in prison, 
what of Under the absurd charge of high treason, Leisler 
and mL and Milborne were tried ; pronounced guilty, and 
sentenced to be executed. Their property was con- 
fiscated, but was afterw T ard restored to their de- 
scendants. 

In August, Sloughter ended, by a sudden death, 
a short, weak, and turbulent administration, 
what of 28. The war between the French, with their In- 

tne ' 

£nd nc i h n- dian allies, and the English, still continued, and 
dianwai? a | )0ut t j me Major Peter Schuyler, at the head 
of three hundred Mohawks, made a successful at- 
tack upon the French settlements, at the north end 
of Lake Champlain. 
whosuo 29. In 1692, Col. Fletcher was appointed as the 

ceeded 7 rr 

f e ' r ° ? ugh " successor of Sloughter. tie w T as a good soldier, a 
what is religious man, and labored zealously to promote 
his ad- the interest of the English Church. Near the close 
of his administration, the bloody war which had so 
long been carried on between England and France, 



ministra- 
tion ? 



When 
did the 

Biid n in- by the French and English colonies in America, 

dmn wa: J . iii - ^. 

natei' was termmate d by the peace of Ryswick. 
16S8 30. In 1698, the Earl of Bellamont arrived in 



Cnap. VII. 



CAPTAIN KIDD. 



147 



New York, as the successor of Governor Fletcher. 169s 
About this time, the American seas were much in- Whosuc . 
fested with pirates. Bellamont, before his departure 
from England, had received instructions to wage a 
war oi extermination against them. He had already, 
when in England, in connection with several oth- cdve e in 
ers, procured a vessel of war, placed it under the £llslartd< 
command of Capt. Kidd, and directed him to pro- 
ceed first to New York, and then to cruise against 
the pirates. Kidd disobeyed his instructions, turned what is 

r . said of 

pirate himself, and for a long time ravaged the At- [ggfj 4 
lantic and Indian oceans. 

31. Three years after, appearing publicly in Bos- 
ton, he was apprehended and sent to England, 
where he was tried and executed. Bellamont and 
his partners were accused of sharing in his plunder, 
but after an examination in the House of Com- 
mons, they were pronounced innocent. 

32. On the death of Bellamont, in 1701, Lord SeT 
Cornbury was appointed as his successor. Mean, mont? 
profligate and unprincipled, he looked upon a resi- 
dence in America as a happy escape from his credi- 
tors at home. His persecution of all religious sects whaf . g 
except the Church of England, his indecent and combu 
vulgar manners, and his many acts of injustice and ryJ 
Oppression, rendered him universally odious. The 
assemblies of New York and New Jersey, of which 

he was also governor in 1708, petitioned the queen \vnat<tf 
for his removal. The request was complied with, history 
and he was soon after thrown into prison by his 
creditors for debt, where he remained until the 
death of his father, when he exchanged his cell for 
a peerage and a seat in the House of Lords. 



L48 



NEW YORK. 



Part I. 



l T4 1 33. During Queen Anne's war, which broke out in 
1702 and continued until 1 713, and King George's 
£ng did war, which commenced in 1745, but few events of 
Anne" 8 interest transpired in New York, which have not 
tinue? been already touched upon in connection with the 
colonial histoiy of Massachusetts. The quiet of 
the country for many years was only disturbed by 
political contests, which would possess but little in- 
terest for the youthful mind. 
174L 34. In the year 1741, a supposed "negro plot" 
ia created great alarm in the city of New York. Rob- 
the d negro beries of a bold and daring character were often 
Sew 1 " committed, and fires were of frequent occurrence, 
which were evidently the work of incendiaries. 
The suspicion of the citizens fell upon the slaves 
who resided among them. They were accused, by 
a number of abandoned females, of combining to- 
gether to burn the city, and make one of their 
number governor. The excitement in a short time 
became so great, that, upon the evidence of persons 
of the most infamous character, a large number 
were arrested and confined in prison. When the 
time of trial arrived, so strong was the prejudice 
against the prisoners, that every lawyer in the city 
volunteered against them, and the poor victims of 
an unjust suspicion were compelled to endure the 

Howma- J r . r . 

ny were mockery oi a trial, and be convicted upon evidence 
cutedi t ]j e mo st extravagant and contradictory. Fourteen 
were burned, eighteen hung, and seventy-one trans- 
ported. When all this blood bad been shed, and 
Were ttie apprehension of danger had subsided, men be- 
fc &? gan to reflect calmly upon the evidence that had 
been advanced against the prisoners, and the con- 



Cliap. VIII. 



NEGRO PLOT. 



149 



elusion was that the plot originated in their own n i\ 
brains, and that they had executed innocent men. with 
The negro plot in New York and Salem witchcraft ffi?/ 6 
in Massachusetts show into what extravagances nS ro he 

, i i ! i • • & „ Plot be 

men may be led, when their actions are uncontroll- class e<i? 
ed by the calm dictates of reason. From the 
close of King George's war, in 1748, until the Whatil 
breaking out of the ' : French and Indian war," the New of 
inhabitants of New York were relieved from the &>m the 

close of 

burdens and distresses of hostilities. Mention will , Kin « , 

Georsre's 

be made of that contest, in which all the colonies war? 
acted in concert, at a future period in our histow. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

NEW JERSEY. 

1. The province of New Netherlands included Wh . ltls 
within its limits the State of New Jersey, and, up to ffeaHy 
the time of the conquest of the whole of that coun- New Tef 

. . sey? 

try by the English, in 1664, its history is a part of 
the history of that colony. The first settlement 
within the limits of New Jersey, was made by the 
Danes, about the year 1624, at a place called Bergen ; 
shortly afterward, several Dutch families settled ofita 
themselves in the vicinity of New York. But little (J™,** 
progress, however, had been made in settling this 
territory, until 1664, when a settlement was formed 
at Elizabethtown. 

2. Shortly after, the Duke of York, having vp- 



150 



NEW JERSEY. 



Part I. 



1664 ceived a grant from Charles II., of all lands within 
To the province of New Netherlands, conveyed that 
wL°this portion of them lying between the Hudson and 
f a the d Delaware rivers, to Lord Berkeley and Sir George 
Yofk? of Carteret. This tract, in compliment to Sir George, 
who had been governor of the island of Jersey, was 
called New Jersey. A constitution, securing equal 
privileges and liberty of conscience to all, was 
Nei^er f° rm ed Dv tne proprietors, and Philip Carteret ap- 
the ad- er pointed governor. He arrived in 1665, and fixed 
tfonof 3 " the seat of government at Elizabethtown. The 
' liberal spirit of the constitution, and the beauty of 
the climate, attracted many settlers from New 
England and New York. The population rapidly 
increased, and for a number of years, they enjoyed 
uninterrupted peace and prosperity. 

3. But at length domestic troubles arose, which, 
troubles in a short time, assumed a serious character. The 

arose t ' 

mfiS inhabitants who had purchased lands from the In- 
° es? dians, previous to their conveyance to the duke, re- 
fused to pay rent to the proprietors. Disputes were 
followed by confusion, and in 1672, the disaffected 
colonists displaced Philip Carteret, their governor, 
and transferred his office to the young and frivo- 
lous James Carteret, a son of Sir George. Philip 
Carteret, hastened to England, in search of new 
authority, while the colonists remained in the un- 
s.ndVf disturbed possession of their farms. 

the con- 

wfthe 4. In 1673, the Dutch re-conquered the country, 

tion of 

and retained it until 1674, when it was restored by 
hyanT* treaty. A new patent was then granted to the 

the gov- .V 

under ent d 11 ^? wno immediately appointed Andros governor 
eharten ovei ' the re-united province. In 1675, Philip Car- 



Cliap. VIII. 



LAND TITLES. 



151 



teret returned to New Jersey, and was gladly re- i6T4 
ceived by the inhabitants, who had become heart- 
ily weary of the tyranny of Andros. 

5. In 1674, Lord Berkeley sold his share of New Describe 
Jersey to Penwick, in trust for Billings and his quint 6 " 
assignees. Billings subsequently became embar- which 
rassed in his pecuniary affairs, and made an as- ™ s d t e p 
signment of his claims on New Jersey to William ritory ' 
Penn, Gawin Lawrie, and Nicholas Lewis. In 
1676, the assignees of Billings divided the territory 
with Sir George Carteret, they taking the western, 

and he the eastern portion. The western proprie- 
tors divided their territory into one hundred lots, 
which were sold separately. They then gave the 
settlers a free constitution, under the title of Con- 
cessions, granting all the important privileges of 
civil and religious liberty. 

6. The Duke of York continued to urge his 
claims to jurisdiction over New Jersey, to the great JJow 
annoyance of the inhabitants, until 1680, when the f^iiy 6 ' 
question was referred to Sir William Jones, for his from the 
decision. The decision was in their favor, and the the Duke 

7 01 York ? 

people finally succeeded in securing a formal recog- 
nition of their independence. In 1681, the Gov- 
ernor of West Jersey convened their first legislative 
assembly, when several laws were enacted, estab- 
lishing the rights of the people and defining the 
power of the rulers. 

7. In 1682, William Penn and eleven other per- what of 

. New Jer- 

sons of the society of friends, purchased of Sir Bey un - 

J ' r der Qua 

George Carteret, the whole province of East New ^-jia 
Jersey. Twelve other persons of different denomi- flon ' 
nations, were then united with the purchasers, 



152 



NEW JERSEY. 



Pari. 1. 



an d Robeit Barclay, author of the " Apology for the 
Quakers," appointed governor for life. Under his 
brief administration, a large number of emigrants 
arrived from Scotland, 
what led 8. The vast numbers of proprietors, and the fre- 

to the ... 

Hero"" q uen t transfer and subdivision of shares, introduced 
emmlnt" confusion in land titles, which gave rise to long and 
crownv angry disputes. At lengtn, the proprietors, weary 
no2. of contending, surrendered in 1702 their rights of 
government to the crown. The two divisions were 
what of un ^ e d and joined to New York under the govern- 
S e of' the m ent of Lord Cornbury. The two provinces 
from this remained under the same governor, but possessed 
distinct legislative assemblies until 1738, when, 
in compliance with the urgent request of the peo- 
ple of New Jersey, they were allowed a separate 
governor. From this period until the commence- 
ment of the Revolution, no event of historical 
interest occurred in New Jersey. 



Chap. IX. 



DELAWARE. 



153 



1682 

CHAPTER IX. 

DELAWARE. 



1. The history of Delaware until its conquest wbatl8 

by the Dutch, has already been given in connec- the elriy 

uon with that of New York. It will therefore be Dela- 
ware 1 

unnecessary to refer to that period again. The 
settlements on the Delaware continued under the 
control of the Dutch, until 1664, when New Neth- 
erlands was conquered by the English. They 
were then considered a part of New York. 

2. About the year 1682, William Penn pui'- what 
chased of the Duke of York the country at present tant or " 

event oc 

comprised within the State of Delaware. This curred 
tract was called the " Territories," and was for 1682? 
twenty years governed as a part of Pennsylvania. 

3. They were divided into three counties : New 
Castle, Kent and Sussex, each of which sent six to their 6 

separa- 

delegates to the general assembly. These dele- JjjSSj™ 
gates in 1703, being dissatisfied with the last char- vama? 
ter which Penn had prepared, broke off from that 
colony and formed a distinct assembly; but they 
still remained under the jurisdiction of the former 
proprietor. 

4. Delaware was but little disturbed during the 
various Indian wars which harassed the country, tether 
and enjoyed peace and quiet until the breaking out 
of the Revolution, when her troops were foremost in 
fighting for the liberties of their country. 



What i? 
f 

Dela- 
ware ? 



154 



PENNSYLVANIA. 



Part I\ 



1681 



CHAPTER X, 



PENNSYLVANIA. 

1, The territory comprised within the limits of 
B^ a Vi s * ne State of Pennsylvania was granted in 1681, by 
topfnn? Charles II., to William Penn, son of Admiral Penn, 
as a recompense for services which he had render- 
ed the British nation, 
what of 2. The charter constituted William Penn and 
tee char- h e j rs proprietors of the province of Pennsylva- 
nia, and gave to him, his heirs and their deputies, 
power to make laws with the advice of the freemen, 
and to erect courts of justice. Wishing to dis- 
penn lis- p se of his lands and found a colony, Penn now 

pose oi * J ' 

andwhat published a description of the country holding out 
the a fiJst )f many inducements for emigration. He ofFered the 
tion? land at the rate of twenty pounds for every thou- 
sand acres, or to lease it to those who preferred for 
a yearly rent of a penny an acre. At these low 
rents, large tracts of land were sold, mostly to 
Quakers, of which denomination Penn was a 
member. 

3. In the latter part of the same year, three ships 
carrying settlers sailed for Pennsylvania. Among 
their number was Mark ham, who was to act as 
deputy governor. On their arrival, they selected, as 
a proper place for their settlement, a position above 
the confluence of the Delaware and the Schuylkill. 

4. In the following year, Penn published the 
frame of government for Pennsylvania, and a code 



CHap. X. TREATY WITH THE INDIANS. 



155 



of laws, which had been approved by the emigrants iG82 
in England. To prevent future claims to the prov- whatdid 
ince by the Duke of York, he obtained a release Ssh 

\ 1 in the 

from him of all lands under his control in Pennsyl- JJJj* in * 
vania, and also a grant of the territory comprised whatd , d 
within the present State of Delaware. fromS 

5. In the latter part of September, accompanied York ? 
by about two thousand emigrants, he set sail for When 
America, and early in the following November Jjsit he 
landed at New Castle. The next day possession AmtrlcaJ 
of the " Territories" was legally given him by the 
magistrates. 

From New Castle, Perm asceuded the Delaware 
to Chester, and from thence proceeded in an open 
boat to the beautiful bank on which the city of 
Philadelphia was soon to rise. 

6. Shortly after his arrival, surrounded by a few 
friends in the habiliments of peace, he met the Mediate- 
numerous delegation of the Lenni Lenape tribes £l 



under a large elm tree, and entered into a treaty 
with them which ever remained unbroken. "We 
meet," said he in addressing them, " on the broad Descnbe 
pathway of good faith, and good will ; no advan- J^and'" 
tao'e shall be taken on either side, but all shall be wloftha 

, . Indians. 

openness and love. The friendship between me 
and you, I will not compare to a chain, for that the 
rains might rust or the falling tree might break. We 
are the same as if one man's body were to be divided 
into two parts ; we are all one flesh and blood." 

7. The children of the forest were touched by 
the sacred doctrine, and renounced their guile and 
their revenge. "We will live," said tr^, "in love 
with William Penn and his children, as long as the 



156 



PENNSYLVANIA. 



Pan x<> 



16S2 moon and the sun shall endure." After having re- 
now did ceived the stipulated price for their lands, and a 
Sans^v- copy of the treaty, which they were requested to 
^e re <pa- preserve, they retired to their wigwams, and long 
after would repeat to their children, or to the stran 
ger, the words of William Penn. 

8. In nearly all the other American colonies, 
Indian hostilities and massacres were of frequent 
occurrence ; but in Pennsylvania, they lived in har- 
mony with the whites, and were inspired with a 
feeling of affection for those whose conduct gave 
evidence that they were their sincere friends. 
During the whole period that the other colonies 
suffered from the vengeance of the red man, not a 
drop of Quaker blood was shed by an Indian, 
the plan Shortly after the formation of this treaty, Penn laid 

hl ty iay id out tne P^ an °f a c ^y> wn i cn he called Philadel 
out? phia, or the city of " Brotherly Love." 
1683, 9. In this city a second assembly was held in 
March, 1683, and a second charter granted, differ- 
re|uia lhe * n o m som e respects from the first. To prevent 
the n sec f lawsuits, three arbitrators were to be chosen by the 
ibiy? county courtj to settle differences between man and 
man ; children were to be taught some useful 
was the trade, and no one was to be molested for religious 

result of / ° 

rSia- opinions. These wise regulations attracted many 
tions? emigrants, so that, in four years from the grant to 
wnen Penn, the province contained twenty settlements, 
return to and Philadelphia two thousand inhabitants. In 

England. 1 

™° )s to August, 1684, he returned to England, leaving the 
Sfdhe province under the administration of live commis- 

leave the . 1 ■ 1 i 

eovem- sioners, chosen by the people. 

tnent? 7 . 

10. Soon after his return, James II. ascended the 



What 



Chap. X 



WILLIAM PENN. 



157 



What he 
fel Pes.n 



throne. For many years he had been his father's 1694 
and his own friend, and when, a few years after- 
ward, he was deprived of his throne, Penn was sent 
to prison for his attachment to the cause of the un- 
fortunate monarch. In a short time he regained 
the good opinion of King William, was released 
from prison, and restored to his rights. The gov- 
ernment of his province, during his confinement, 



Who 

governed 
his pro- 
vince in 

had been administered by Governor Fletcher, a sence? 



man appointed by the king. 

11. In 1699, Penn again visited his colony. Find- 
ing the people dissatisfied with their old charter, 
in 1701 he prepared another, still more liberal than 
the former. The colony of Delaware disapproving 
of the charter, separated from Pennsylvania, and 
were allowed a distinct assembly. 

12. Penn soon after returned to England, and 
the affairs of the province from that time were ad- 
ministered by deputy governors. In the early part 
of the Revolutionary war, a new constitution was 
adopted by the people, excluding the proprietary 
from all share in the government. His claim to 
rents was afterward purchased for 580,000 dollars. 



When 
did Penn 
return ? 

When 
did he 
form an- 
other 
charter? 

What dia 
Dela- 
ware do? 



What is 
said of 
the fu- 
ture his- 
tory of 
the colo- 
ny? 



158 



MARYLAND. 



Part r 



163 2 

CHAPTER XL 

MARYLAND. 



to 1. The territory of Maryland was granted in 

whom j j o 

ZtlnT' 1632, by Charles I., to Sir George Calvert (whose 
granted? title was Lord Baltimore) ; but before the charter 
was completed, he died. Cecil Calvert, his eldest 
rained son, and heir to his estate and title, obtained the 

the grant ; ' ' 

death his grant intended for his father. The country was 
n"me hat called Maryland, in honor of Henrietta Maria, the 
give it; Q,ueen of England. The Calverts, father and son, 
were Roman Catholics, and their design in found- 

What ' o 

cliverts? ni g a coion y in America was, to furnish a place of 
refuge to their religious friends who suffered from 
persecution. 

2. Near the close of the year 1633, Leonard Cal- 
appoint- vert, who had received the appointment of gw- 

ed gover- ' . 

nor of ernor of the province from his brother Cecil, set 

the pro- r ' 

and* sail for America, accompanied by about two hun- 
was the dred emigrants, mostly Roman Catholics. The)' 
tiement arrived in March 1634, and commenced their set- 

com- ' 

menced? t] emen t n St. Mary's river, about ten miles from 
its junction with the Potomac, at an Indian village 
which they purchased from the natives, and to 
which they gave the name of St. Mary's. 

3. The ample provisions of their charter, and the 
what led mildness of the climate, attracted many emigrants, 
rapid in % not only from Europe, but from the other colonies 



crease of 

puritans, from the north puritans drove churchmen, 



g£ u {£ in America. From the south churchmen drove 

Mary- 
land ? 



Chap. XI. 



CLAYBORNE. 



159 



into her borders, where all were received and pro- 16 34 
tected. The charter granted to the emigrant reli- 
gious freedom, and the power to make their own 
laws, independent of all influence or action of the 
crown. 

4. In 1635, the first assembly of Maryland met When 
at Si. Mary's. During the same year troubles first *j£ 
arose from the resistance of Tfilliam Clayborne, meet? 
who had, prior to the grant of Maryland to Lord 
Baltimore, received a license from the legislature What 
of Virginia, to traffic in the country with the In- "aifse^f 
dians. This, he said, made him independent of the bies^ 
Maryland government, which he refused to obey. ^° r r tly 
A bloody skirmish followed, and several lives were arose? 
lost, but Clayborne and his party were defeated. 
Clayborne fled to Virginia, and when reclaimed by what is 
Maryland, was sent by the governor of that colony ga^ 
to England for trial. The Maryland assembly 
convicted him of treason, and confiscated his es- 1638 
tates. He applied to the king for redress, but was 
dismissed, without obtaining any order in his fa- 
vor.. 

5. At first the people of Maryland assembled to- dldthe 
gether for passing laws, each freeman having a Jj**^. 
right to come and vote, but in 1639, the colony had fo r m e f 
increased to such an extent, that the people adopt- menu 

What 

hostili- 
ties oc- 
curred in 
1642? 



ed a representative form of government. In 1642. 
hostilities commenced with the Indians, which 
were not appeased till 1644. During the civil war 
between the king and parliament, Clayborne em- 
braced the cause of the latter, and in 1645, returned 
to Maryland, and fomented an insurrection against 



What is 
s.iid of 
Clay- 
borne 
d urinar 
the civil 
war in 

Us rulers, who were attached to the royal cause. ms a ' ' 



MARYLAND. 



Part 1 



1645 The governor was obliged to flee to Virginia, and 
~~ confusion reigned in the colony. The next year 
the insurrection was suppressed, and tranquillity 
restored. 

what di- 6. In 1650, the legislature of Maryland was di- 
was on vided into two branches — the delegates, chosen by 
the people, constituting the lower house; and the 
governor and council, appointed by the proprietor, 
the upper house. It is worthy of remark, that dur- 
ing the whole period that the Catholics held the 
ascendency, no law was passed, interfering in the 
least with religious freedom. Maryland was a 
place of refuge for the persecuted of every reli- 
gious denomination. 

7. After the parliament had triumphed over the 
king, and Cromwell commenced his rule as " Pro- 
whom tector of the Commonwealth," government sent out 

was the . . ' ° . 

commissioners to govern the colony within the Bay 



the Jegis 
lature in 



What is 

said of 

Mary 

land 

while 

trie 

Catho- 
lics were 
in the as- 
cenden- 
cy? 



To 



of Chesapeake. Among these was Clayborne, who 



govern - 
mem in- 
trusted 
during 

ofc'rom" had been at the bottom of nearly all the difficulties 
which had occurred in Maryland. Disturbance 
and confusion ensued, and Calvert, the governoi 
appointed by the proprietor, was obliged to surren- 
land? der the government, and the Catholics, after hav- 
ing settled the country, were shamefully persecuted 
catho the m °y tne English authorities. It was ordain- 
lecjited ea " by the assembly, that persons professing the 
Catholic religion should not be considered within 
the protection of the laws. At the restoration in 
1660, Philip Calvert was appointed governor, and 
the ancient order of things restored. 

8. In 1675, Lord Baltimore died, and was suc- 
ceeded by his son Charles, who possessed the same 



What 
disturb- 
ances oc- 
curred in 
Mary- 



under 
the ne\ 
govern' 
ment ? 



What 
took 
place on 
the res- 
toration ? 



Cliap. XI. DEATH OF BALTIMORE. 161 

amiable qualities which had rendered his father 1689 
respected and beloved. At the time of the revolu- When ~~ 
tion in England, in 1689, the repose of Maryland more die, 
was again disturbed. A rumor having- been circu- i«. said o< 

° his sue 

lated, that the Catholics had leagued with the In- cessor? 
dians to destroy all the Protestants in the prov- 1689 

, . . i /. i i Whatoe- 

ince, an armed association was iormed lor the de- saaioned 

' the dis- 

fense of the Protestant faith, and for asserting the S^ 06 
rights of King William. 

9. At first the Catholics endeavored to oppose by Xecath 
force this association, but were finally compelled to ohcsdo? 

' J 1 In whose 

abdicate the government. Prom this time the au- ™™ e the 
thority was exercised in the name of King William, 
and for twenty-seven years, the crown retained the 
controll of the province. In 1716, the proprietor when 

\ . . was th c 

was restored to his rights, and Maryland continued P r r opr r jf 
a proprietary government from that time, until the ^ redt0 
commencement of the Revolution, when a consti- and how 
tution was adopted, and the claims of Lord Balti- he retain 

1 1 posses- 

rnore to jurisdiction or property rejected. fiegov- 

J J eminent! 



govern- 
ment 
then ad 
minis- 
tered ? 



162 



NORTH CAB.CLINA. 



Part I. 



1630 

CHAPTER XII 

NORTH CAROLINA. 



What is 
said of 
the pa 
tent 
granted 
to Sir 
Robert 



1. In 1630, Sir Robert Heath, attorney-general 
of Charles L, obtained a patent for all the country 
between the 30th and 36th degrees of north latitude, 

Heath? extending from the Atlantic ocean to the South 
sea, by the name of Carolina. Heath's patent led 
to no settlements, and was finally declared void. 
and en by Between 1640 and 1650, a number of families suf- 
Sfcar- fering from religious persecution in Virginia, fled 
ei l pfoSd to Carolina, and without a grant, from any quarter 
tled? occupied that portion of the State which lies north 
of Albemarle sound. 

2. In 1661, a number of emigrants from Massa- 
chusetts formed another settlement, near Cape 
Fear river, but the land being unproductive, and 
the Indians hostile, they two years afterward 
abandoned it. The place, however, w r as in a short 

tKdi- time supplied by emigrants from Barbadoes, over 
Barba™ whom Sir John Yeamans was appointed governor. 
In 1663, the^ territory which had been before 
granted to Heath, was given to Lord Clarendon 
IKibe- an ^ seven others, and in the same year, a govern- 
"unty ment under Mr. Drummond was established over 
ony the settlement in the vicinity of Albemarle sound, 
vv-hydid which was called the " Albemarle county colony." 

the pro- J 

duer ors 3. The proprietors, judging from the richness of 
wtabHsh the soil and the beauty of the climate, that North 
eov«m-° Carolina would soon he extensively settled, determin- 

mer:t? J 



What is 
said of 
the colo- 
ny from 
Massa- 
chusetts? 



THE FIRST CONSTITUTION. 



163 



ed to establish a form of government, commensurate i ggo 
in its dignity with the auspices of the colony, and 
the vastness of the country. They accordingly 
deputed the Earl of Shaftsbury, the most active W]l0 
of their number, to frame for the dawning States a frontiers 
perfect constitution, worthy to endure throughout ^Jjf tu_ 
all ages. 

4. Shaftsbury engaged to assist him the cele- 
brated John Locke, whose political writings have 
been much admired. The constitution which was SSnu 
formed was little relished by the colonists, as it de- 
prived them almost entirely of political freedom, 
establishing a government to be administered by 
lords and noblemen, and placing every office of 
importance out of the reach of the common people. 

5. The attempt to enforce this, to the colonists, i67o 
odious constitution, created an insurrection, in which 
the principal officers of government were imprison- Rqw 
ed, and which could only be subdued by the threat J}|j({|£ 
of bringing out an armed force against them. After station? 
an opposition to the constitution of more than 
twenty years, it was finally abrogated by the pro- 
prietors themselves. 



6. In 1670, a settlement was made at Charlestown, Sfof 

he set- 
nt 

made ii: 



within the present limits of South Carolina, by tieme 
William Sayle, but he dying soon after, was sue- kto 
ceeded by Sir John Yeamans, the governor of Cla- 167 
rendon. Many of the inhabitants of Clarendon why 
removed to the new settlement, which being remote 
from Albemarle, the proprietors established a sep- m 
arate government, and thence arose the distinctive 
appellations of North and South Carolina. f!ci1a ap ' 
7. In 1683, Seth Sothel, one of the proprielors, S 



was a 
sepHmte 
govern- 
ment 



164 



NORTH CAROLINA. 



Part I. 



1689 was appointed chief magistrate. He was avari- 
what is c i° us , hard-hearted, and tyrannical. He cared not 



nd of 
eth 
Sothel ? 



for truth, and eagerly plundered the people under 



Wnat 
grant 



the cloak of law. The colonists, after having en- 
dured his oppression six years, banished him from 
the colony. 

8. Ludwell, the next governor, and John Arch- 
whatof dale his successor, were deservedly popular and 
and beloved, for under their administrations the colonists 
dsuet prospered and were happy. 

What In 1707, a company of French emigrants who 
J™; t s had formerly settled in Virginia, arrived in Caro- 
fn n i707 lina. In 1710, thev were followed by a hundred 

and 1710? " J 

German families from the Rhine, who sought 
refuge in the same part of the province, from the 
religious persecution which harassed them at 
home. To each of these the proprietors granted 
Siem/ one hundred acres of land, upon which they set- 
tled and were soon in the enjoyment of ease and 
competency. 

ni2. 9. In 1712, the Tuscarora and Coree Indians, 
smarting under recent injuries and alarmed at the 
Give an mcrease °f tne white population, formed a conspi- 
of^h? rac y f° r destroying the colony by a general massa- 
sy form- Cl'C Twelve hundred warriors united in the plot, 
Tuscaro- and in the same night attacked the different set- 

ra and ° 

uSs tlements. Their measures were taken with such 
secrecy, that no alarm was spread until the work 
of death had commenced. In one night, one hundred 
and thirty persons were butchered. A few escaped 
and hastened to South Carolina for assistance. 

10. Colonel Barnwell, with nearly a thousand 
men, was immediately sent by Governor Craven to 



Cliap. XII. SEPARATION OP THE CAROLINAS. 



165 



their assistance. After a fatiguing march, they it 12 
met the enemy, defeated them and then entered 
into a treaty of peace. But in a few days the treaty 
was broken and hostilities again commenced. At Wnatls 
lensrth Colonel Moore arrived from South Carolina the pro- 

, gress and 

with forty whites and eight hundred friendly In- 
dians, beseiged them in a fort near Catechny river, 
and took eight hundred prisoners. The remainder 
of the Tuscaroras, in 1713, migrated to the north, 
and joined the Huron confederacy. In 1715, the 
Corees sued for peace, and afterward continued 
friendly. 

11. Until 1729, the two Carolinas had been un- 1729 
der the control of the same proprietors, but they What 
were now separated, and royal governments entirely {J a k nge 
unconnected with each other established over the C fov- 

ii • • ernment 

each colony, immigrants constantly arrived from in 1729 ? 
the north, and from different parts of Europe; the 
settlements extended far back into the wilderness, 
and the colonists at peace with the Indians, con- 
tinued to enjoy quiet and prosperity until they were 
involved in the troubles of the Revolution. f 



166 



SOUTH CAROLINA. 



Part I. 



16TO 

CHAPTER XIII 

SOUTH CAROLINA. 



what i ? I. The whole territory of South Carolina was, 
the first as we have already stated, included in the charter 

colony in J 

Carolina? g ran ted to Lord Clarendon and seven others in 
1663. No permanent settlement was made until 
1670, when a company of emigrants sent out by 
the proprietors, under the direction of William 
Sayle, commenced, on a neck of land between Ash- 
ley and Cooper rivers, the erection of Old Charles- 
town. 

2. The emigrants had hardly landed, before they 
appointed delegates to their colonial parliament, 
and instituted a government on the basis of liberty, 
what ^ ne c °l° n y horn this time rapidly increased in 
grants population. Within a year after their first arrival. 
soon e af- many of the Dutch on account of the conquest of 

ter they 

tuted a New York removed to Charleston. They were 
go™rr? speedily followed by emigrants from Holland. Pu- 
menU ritans in England gladly sought a refuge in Caro- 
lina, where they could avoid the vice of the King's 
licentious court. The tyranny of Louis XIY. in- 
duced many French Protestants to seek a home be- 
yond the Atlantic, where their worship would be 
tolerated, and their civil rights respected. 
Srred ^' ^ n 1671. Sir John Yeamans was appointed gov- 
ernor. He brought from Barbadoes several African 
slaves; thus, South Carolina alone of the thirteen 
original States was from its cradle a planting State 



in 1671? 



Chap. XIII. 



SETH SOTHEL. 



167 



with slave labor. The number of blacks increased i68o 
so rapidly, that in a few years they numbered more 
than the whites. 

4. The situation of Charleston not being conve- Why did 
nient for commercial purposes, most of the inhabit- E re- 
ants removed in 1680 to Oyster Point, where they g^ter 
laid the foundation of the present city of Charles- 
ton. The same year the Wistoes, a powerful Sfdfa 
tribe of Indians, commenced hostilities against the Sort" 16 
whites, but in the following year peace was re- 
stored. 

5. In 1690, Seth Sothel one of the proprietors, 
who had been previously banished from North Car- Sof 8 
olina for his corrupt conduct, suddenly appeared at Sothcl in 
Charleston, and aided by a large party, assumed 

the reins of government. But his conduct was 
soon found to be intolerable, and in two years he 
was removed from office. 

6. The French Protestants who had been driven Whyhad 
from France by the tyranny of Louis XIV., up to French 
the present time, possessed no voice in legislative SntTieft 

1 ; 1 France? 

matters, but now their good conduct induced the 
proprietors to extend to them the right of represen- 16S6 - 
tation. This the English settlers strongly opposed, How 
and such was the general turbulence and disorder they re- 
respecting this and other matters, that in 1695, John By ige 
Archdale, a pious Quaker, was sent over as govern- settler# l 
or, with authority to redress all grievances. He 
succeeded in restoring order, but was compelled to W hati? 
exclude the French Protestants from all concern in Sreh-° 
the legislature. In a few years, however, they were govern, 
admitted to all the rights of citizens and freemen. 

7. In 1702, soon after the commencement of the mz 



/ 



168 SOUTH CAROLINA. Parti 

17 02 war between England and Spain, Governor Moore 
Give an proposed an expedition against, the Spanish settle- 
oftheS- ment at St. Augustine, but the attempt which was 
against made with 1,200 men, was entirely unsuccess- 

St. Au- ' \ ' J . 

ustme. f u ] ? anc j cos i i\ ie colony about twenty-six thousand 
doilars. Moore, on his return, -to silence the re- 
proaches of the people of Charleston, marched 
what of with a large force against the Apalachian Indians, 
dh e ion pe " who had at different times manifested their hostility 
the Apa- to the whites. In this expedition, he was success- 

.achian r 

Indians? £ u j^ an( j a f ter having burned many of their towns 
,704. and villages, and sold several of their number as 
slaves, he compelled them to submit to the govern- 
ment of the colony. 

8. According to the constitution, religious liberty 
was to be freely enjoyed by all; but Governor 
wh t Moore, by bribing the voters, succeeded in procuring 
d!d an Gov tne P assa g e °f a l aw j establishing the Episcopal 
make 6 ™ religion, and excluding dissenters from a seat in the 
mafters S ? assembly. The lords, however, disapproved of the 
law, and Q,ueen Anne shortly after declared it void. 
The war between England and Spain still contin- 

Why dm m ° 1 

Spanish uea ? an ^ m 1706, a Spanish squadron appeared of! 
mjfon the harbor of Charleston ; but on the enemy at- 
«ca? tempting to land, they were driven back with con- 
siderable loss, when they took a final leave of the 
coast. 

i7i5. 9. The colonists now remained in peace for 
Give an several years, but in 1715 their quiet was broken 
Rein- by the horrors of Indian warfare. The Yemassees, 
mmsT* a brave and warlike people inhabiting the interior, 
had long meditated the total destruction of the 
whites. They had engaged in the conspiracy all 



Cl^p.XIII. YAMASSEE WAR. 1W 

the tribes from Cape Pear to Florida, and in April ma 
commenced their attack. Ninety persons were 
massacred at Port Royal, and other attacks no less 
bloody made in different parts of the country. 

10. Governor Craven, at the head of twelve hun- whatdui 

dred men, marched against the savages, and the tod' an- 

' ° 3 com- 

tide of war was speedily changed. Straggling pUsh? 

parties of the Indians were cut off, and the great 
body of the enemy totally routed in a pitched bat- 
tle at Salt-catchers. Most of them fled to Florida, 
where they were welcomed by the Spaniards. The 
war with the Yemassees was now closed, and a what 
heavy public debt contracted. The proprietors not S» 
only refused to pay any portion of this debt, which arose ' 
had been incurred in the defense of the colony, but 
deprived the emigrants of the land from which the 
Indians had been driven. 

11. This tyrannical conduct led to frequent conten- 
tions; the emigrants refused to submit to the ail- How did 
thority of the proprietors, and appointed John Moore trovers?" 
governor in t tie name of the king. They shortly 
after obtained a hearing before the king, when it was 
declared the proprietors had forfeited their charter, 

and the colony from thenceforth became a royal 
province. In 1729 it was separated from North * 7a 
Carolina. From this time to the breaking out of 
the Revolution but little of interest occurred. 



170 



GEORGIA. 



Part 1. 



1 732 

CHAPTER XIV. 

GEORGIA. 

1. A portion of the territory of Georgia had 
been included in Carolina, but previous to the sur- 
render of that charter, no settlement had been made 
in the country. In 1732, a number of benevolent 
Kfwas gentlemen in England formed the plan of planting 
in i?32? the sunny clime with those, who, in England, had 
neither land nor shelter, and those on the conti- 
nent to whom, as Protestants, bigotry denied free- 
dom of worship at home. 
whatis 2. At the head of this company stood Jamia 
oi?e- of Oglethorpe, a member of the British parliament, a 
norpe ' man of a heroic mind and merciful disposition. 

Through his influence a charter was obtained in 
St did 1^32 from George II., erecting the country between 
ccive 6 the Savannah and Altamaha, due west to the Pacific, 
|ep g e into the province of Georgia, and placing it for twen- 
ty-one years under the guardianship of a corporation 
" in trust for the poor." In November of the same 
year, Oglethorpe, with about one hundred and twen- 
ty emigrants, sailed for America, and on their arri- 
val commenced the foundation of their town, on 
the high bluff where now stands Savannah. 

3. In the following June, the chiefs of the Creek 
nation assembled at Savannah, and bade the stran- 
the w in- prers welcome to the lands which their nation did 

dians re- D . 

wldeni not use ' e °^ them m token of sincerity, laid 
eight bundles of buck-skins at Oglethorpe's feet ; 



What 

town 
was set- 
tled in 
1732? 



WESLEY WHITFIELD. 



171 



a treaty of peace was signed, by which the English 1733 
claimed sovereignty over the land of the Creeks 
as far south as St. Johns, and the chieftains depart- 
ed loaded with presents. 

4. The poverty and indolence of the new settlers, 
most of whom were the refuse of cities, for a time 
prevented the colony from prospering, but on the 
trustees extending their invitation, Avhich had here- 
tofore been confined to the poor and persecuted, to the nest 

1 1 ' company 

all who might wish to settle in Georgia, a large Jj^f™ i_ 
number from Scotland, Germany, and Switzerland, from the 
of a more respectable class, joined the colony, which 
from this time assumed a more flourishing condi- 
tion. In the regulations adopted by the trustees, Jg« 
the introduction of ardent spirits was prohibited, j|JJ dl ° 
and no slaves were allowed in the colony. 

5. Oglethorpe in 1734, after a residence in Amer- 1736. 
ica of about fifteen months, sailed for England. In 

* ' W hat 

1736, he again returned to his colony, with a new 
company of three hundred emigrants, among whom 
were John and Charles Wesley. John Wesley came Sumps 1 
out as a minister of the gospel, but his severe habits 
of conduct and opinion brought him into difficul- 
ties, and at the end of the year he returned home. 



new 

company 
arrived 



with 
Osrie- 



In 1 



6. Two years after, George Whitfield, another Forw 

J ~ purpose 

eminent divine, came to Georgia, for the purpose y d hit . 
of founding an asylum, where orphan children could Some to 

. J J r Aniericai 

be educated in the knowledge of Christianity. The 
house, during his life, did not flourish, and after his what did 
death was entirely abandoned. thWe 

J do on trio 

On the commencement of the war in 1739 be- ™™ ce . 
tween England and Spain, Oglethorpe received a theEn| 
commission as genera, in the British army, and at Spanish 



172 



GEORGIA. 



Part 1. 



i74o the head of two thousand men, from Virginia and 
the Carolinas, marched against Florida. Two 
Spanish forts were taken, but meeting with an ob- 
with stinate resistance in his attack upon St. Augus- 
Buccess? tine, he was compelled to raise the siege and return 
to Georgia. 

account ^ ' Two years afterward, the Spanish government 
spaSsh m retaliation resolved on invading Georgia. It 
tk>n edl ' collected its forces at Cuba, and a large fleet sailed 
Georgia, toward the mouth of the St. Mary's. Oglethorpe 
m2 having been informed of the proposed invasion, 
made preparations for a vigorous defense. He as- 
?hor°pft sembled his forces consisting of about seven hun- 
ments. died men at Frederica, on the island of St. Simon, 
and awaited the attack. 

8. On the last of June, the Spanish fleet of thirty- 
six vessels, having on board about three thousand 
men, entered St. Simon's harbor. And notwith- 
standing the resistance of General Oglethorpe, 
sailed up the river Altamaha, and landed upon the 

Give a r ' r 

farther i s ] a nd. In attempting - to advance toward Freder 

account r O 

war! he ica by a road leading through a morass and dense 
wood, the Spaniards fell into an ambush, which had 
been prepared for them, and were compelled to re- 
treat with the loss of nearly two hundred men. 
The swamp from that time received the name of 
" The Bloody Marsh." 
what 9. Despairing of success, and weakened by divi- 
resuft sions — deceived, too, by an ingenious stratagem — 
StionT" the Spaniards, early in July, re-embarked leaving a 
quantity of ammunition and guns behind them, 
Thus was Georgia deliveied, with a trifling loss, 
from the horrors of a bloody invasion. The Span- 



ci-ap. xiv. Oglethorpe's return. 173 

lards were so mortified at the result of the expedi- 1*74-3 
tion, that the commander on his return was tried 
by a court martial, and dismissed from the service. 

10. In the following year, Oglethorpe returned What is 
;to England, never again to behold the colony, with condu- t 
which the disinterested toils of ten years had iden- gej^ eJ 
tified his fame. For ten years longer, the colony 
j remained under the management of the trustees, 
{but their regulations were often unwise, and created 

1752. 

much dissatisfaction. At length in 1752, they sur- 
rendered their charter to the crown, and Georgia what 

;' 7 change 

became a royal province, having the same gcvern- ™f de in 
ment as the Carolinas. moment* 



L74 



FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR. 



Part I. 



CHAPTER XV. 

FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR. 



what is 1. After long years of strife, of repose, and of strife 
[he^ea- renewed, England and France agreed to be at peace. 
peSef" The treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle, concluded between 
those two nations m 1748, for a time restored tran- 
quillity to America. That treaty was negotiated by 
the ablest statesmen in Europe. They believed 
themselves the arbiters of mankind, the pacifica- 
tors of the world, and supposed they were establish- 
ing the colonial system on a basis which would 
endure for ages. 

2. At the time of the congress of Aix-la-Chapelle, 
the woods of Virginia sheltered the youthful George 
born u ,and Washington. Born by the side of the Potomac, 

what is ° J 

hu d e 2riy heneath the roof of a Westmoreland farmer, al- 
llfe? most from infancy his lot had been the lot of an or- 
phan. No academy had welcomed him to its shades ; 
no college crowned him with its honors ; to read, to 
write, to cipher, these had been his degrees in know- 
ledge. And now at sixteen years of age, in quest of an 
honest maintenance, encountering incredible toil, 
wandering over the Alleghanies and along the banks 
of the Shenandoah, among skin-clad savages, with 
their scalps and rattles— holding a bearskin a splendid 
couch, this stripling surveyor in the woods, with no 
companion but his unlettered associates, and no im- 
plements of science but his compass and chain, con- 



Where 

was 
Wash- 
ington 



CAUSES OP THE WAR. 



175 



trasted strongly with the imperial magnificence of 1753 
the congress of Aix-la-Chapelle. 

3. And yet God had chosen not Kaunitz nor 
Newcastle, not a monarch of the house of Haps- 
burgh nor of Hanover, but the Virginia stripling to his after 
give an impulse to human affairs, and as far as 
events can depend on an individual, had placed 

the rights and destinies of countless millions in the 
keeping of the widow's son. Yes, the voice of that 
boy was soon to be heard in the din of battle, and 
the mind of that stripling surveyor, strengthened 
and matured by years, was to guide the steps of 
his suffering country through a long and bloody 
war, and finally lay the foundation of the noblest 
structure of human freedom ever designed by man. 

4. The colonists had but short time to reap the 
benefits of peace, after the conclusion of the treaty ™^ n wgs 
already referred to, when their prospects were again Kd de " 
clouded, and the sound of approaching war filled See? 
the land with anxiety and gloom. After an inter- 
val of about eight years, from 1748 to 1756, Great 
Britain formally declared war against France. 

5. The causes leading to this war were the What 
alleged encroachments of the French on the fron- {"f d us t ® s 
tiers of the colonies in America belonging to the tlIswar ' 
English crown. The possessions of the French in the what 
north reached from the mouth of the St. Lawrence extent <>f 

the 

to Montreal ; and they had erected trading houses SfiS 
on Lake Ontario. They had planted New Orleans 
on the south, and havinsr discovered the Mississip- they in d 
pi, claimed the vast tract of country watered by it |*£f r ect 
and its tributary streams. At length they deter- "°j hem 
mined to connect their northern and southern pos- letSS- ern 



L76 



FRENCH AND INDIAN "WAR. 



Part 1 



1T53 sessions, by a line of posts extending" along the 
frontiers of the English, from Lake Ontario to the 
Ohio, and down the Ohio and Mississippi, to New 
Orleans. 

what 6. While busily engaged in the prosecution of 
the n Eng d this design, a company of traders from London and 
from the Virginia having obtained of the king a grant of six 
kin8? hundred thousand acres of land, on and near the 
Ohio river, erected trading houses there for the pur- 
pose of carrying on the fur trade with the Indians. 
^f nt The governor of Canada, fearing that the plan of 
followed this company might prevent their communication 
part of between Canada and Louisiana, seized some of 

the 

French? these traders, and sent them prisoners to Canada. 

7. The company complained bitterly of this en- 
what croachment on their rights to Governor Dinwiddie, 
w!s S S of Virginia, who immediately sent a letter to the 
French French commandant, to demand the reason of this 

com- 

aTdby" 1 ' hostile conduct, and to summon the French to 
whom? evacuate the forts in that region. This message 
was intrusted to George Washington, who, at the 
age of twenty-one, began that line of service which 
ended in the independence of his country. 

8. On the 31st of October, he left Williamsburg, 
Virginia, to proceed on his dangerous journey. The 

account distance he was obliged to travel, through the forests 
TourSey. and over the most rugged parts of the Alleghanies, 
was about five hundred and sixty miles. On the 
way, his horse failed ; he nevertheless proceeded 
with a single companion on foot, with a gun in his 
hand, and his shoulder burthened with a pack. On 
the 13th of December, he reached the French fort, 



Cliap.XV. FORT NECESSITY. 177 

on French creek, and delivered his letter to the 1754 
commander. 

9. In a few days he received his answer and re- What 

turned to Williamsburg. The reply of the com- reply 

man dan t was. that he had taken possession of the French 

' t 1 corn- 

country, under the direction of the governor-general maildantJ 

of Canada, to whom he would transmit the mes- What 

sage, and whose orders he should obey. This re- were"' 69 

ply not being" satisfactory, the British ministry, on conse- 

1 j o j i j i quence 

being made acquainted with the determination of answer? 
the French, instructed the Virginians to resist the 
encroachments by force of arms. 

10. Troops were accordingly raised in Virginia, 
which were joined by an independent company 
from South Carolina, amounting in all to about 
four hundred men. The command of the expedi- 
tion was given to Washington, who in April, 1754, ™™; dctl 
marched into the territory in dispute. Meeting at pedifion 
Great Meadows a French force that had been sent 

out to intercept his retreat, he attacked and de- 
feated them. At this place he erected Fort Neces- 
sity, and after having been reinforced with troops 
from New York and Carolina, he proceeded toward dT d hit he f 
Fort Du Q,uesne, situated at the confluence of the proceed 
Alleghany and Monongahela rivers. 

11. Hearing that De Viliiers was approaching 
from this fort at the head of nine hundred men, he 
thought best to retire to Fort Necessity and await 
reinforcements. Here the enemy, one thousand wh2 

success' 

five hundred strong, soon appeared, and commenced 
a furious attack on the fort. After an engagement 
of several hours, De Viliiers offered honorable terms 



12 



.78 



FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR. 



1754 of capitulation, which Washington accepted, and 

returned with his troops to Virginia. 
For what 12. In the same year, delegates from seven of the- 
Sid dele- colonies assembled at Albany for the purpose of 
at Aiba f° rmm S a treaty of friendship with the Six Nations. 
ny? After accomplishing this business, they proceeded to 
adopt a plan of union, similar in its construction to 
the present Constitution of the United States, to be 
submitted to the colonial legislatures and to parlia- 
whatis ment for their approval. This plan was rejected 
the plan by parliament, because they considered it gave too 
poted? mucn power to the people. It was rejected by the 
colonies, because it placed too much power in the 
hands of the king. 
how did 13. England was already jealous of the colonial 
already assemblies, and saw in them a spirit which, unless 

view the \ 1 

coiomes? checked m its embryo state, might soon become too 
powerful for her control. 

The colonies having failed in their plan of union, 
England determined to carry on the war with the 
French, which was now inevitable, with her own 
troops, aided by such of the colonists as chose to 
join them. 

did he Gen 14- l n the spring of 1754, General Braddock 
J r ck ar- arrived from Ireland, with a large force of English 
what is troops, with the authority of commander-in-chief 
nim? ver the English and colonial forces in America. 
Shortly after his arrival, the governors of the sev- 
eral provinces met at his request to make arrange- 
tEex ments f° r trie ensuing campaign. Three expedi- 
wete're 3 tions were resolved on, one against Fortdu Q,uesne, 
to be commanded b / Braddock ; a second against 



Chap. XV. 



braddock's defeat. 



179 



an was 
under- 



Niagara, under Governoi Shirley ; and a third 1754 
against Crown Point, under General Johnson. 

15. While preparations were making for these What 
expeditions, a plan, which had been previously pf VK 
formed for attacking the French in Nova Scotia, tak ~en 
was carried into effect. In May, Gens. Monckton 
and Winslow at the head of about three thousand 
men sailed from Boston, and in June arrived at 
their place of destination. The resistance of the 
enemy was slight, and the English in a short time 
gained possession of the whole province, with the 
loss of only three men. 

16. The preparations of General Brad dock in Why was 
Virginia proceeded slowly, owing to the difficulty dock de 
of obtaining horses, wagons, and provisions, so that j"£P re 
it was on the tenth of June before he was able to Uons? 
leave Fort Cumberland. Wishing to proceed as 
rapidly as possible toward Fort du Quesne, he 
marched on with twelve hundred troops, leaving 

the baggage under the command of Col. Dunbar, 
with directions to follow as rapidly as possible. 

17. Braddock was a brave man, possessed of 

"What is 

great military skill ; but educated in the science of 
of war as then taught in Europe, he knew but lit- H? 
tie of Indian warfare. He was strict in the camp, 
but his strictness was tinctured with severity, and 
his severity approached to arrogance. Unfortu- 
nately for him, he entertained the most supreme 
contempt for the colonial troops, and the advice of Kea? 
the American officers ; so that when Washington, J e '^ d °j y 
who was his aid-de-camp, suggested the propriety 
of employing the Indians as scouting and advance 
parties, he disdained the advice, which, if followed, 



Wash- 
ington 



180 



FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR. 



Part 1 



IT 55 would have saved his army, and changed a shame- 
ful defeat into a glorious victory. 

18. Taking none of the necessary precautions to 
insure his safety, on the 9th of July, within a few 



What 

conse- miles of the fort, he fell into an ambush of French 

quence of 
his rash- 
ness ? 



and Indians. The English troops, panic struck as 
they heard the war-whoop of the Indians, broke their 
ranks, and would have fled, but Braddock rallied 
them and sought to preserve a regular order of bat- 
tle ; thus were they kept cooped up like sheep — fair 
marks for their unseen enemy. 

19. The slaughter was dreadful. Every officer 

What is 11 • i 

thebaf on norseDac k excepting Washington was shot 
Je? down; and he, riding over every part of the field, 
had two horses shot under him, and four balls 
lodged in his coat. The Indians afterward assert- 
ed that they had repeatedly fired at him with rifles 
which never missed the mark before ; but at length 
wash- tne y were convinced that he was shielded by the 
dumS Great Spirit, and that no balls could harm him. 
tfe? God preserved his life to be a leader in the great 
struggle of his country for liberty. 

20. Braddock, undismayed amid the continual 
shower of bullets, encouraged his men by his coun- 
tenance and example. At length, after having had 
three horses shot under him, he received a mortal 
wound. After his fall, the regular troops fled in 
confusion, and were only saved from complete de- 

Bteuctidnj struc ti° n °y tne coolness of the bravest provincials 
under the command of Washington/ who covered 
their retreat. Sixty-four officers out of eighty-five, 
?y w™e" and more than half of the privates were killed or 
wound- wounded. The army continued to retreat until 

ed> J 



Of Brad 
dock? 



What 
saved the 
army 
from to 



Cliap. XV. 



CROWN POINT. 



181 



it reached Fort Cumberland. Col. Dunbar, on 1755 
whom the command devolved, then withdrew ohe 
regulars to Philadelphia, leaving the frontiers of 
Virginia exposed to the attack of the French and 
Indians. 

21. The expedition against Niagara, under Gov- what is 
ernor Shirley, met with so many delays, that they g t e io e * pe 
did not reach Oswego until late in August, and SfS-a 
then the autumnal rains setting in, and the Indian 
allies deserting the camp, Governor Shirley thought 

it expedient to relinquish the design. 

22. The troops for the expedition against Crown whatof 
Point, numbering about six thousand, under the a£n pe * 
command of General Johnson, assembled in Albany crown 

' J Point » 

the last of June, where they were joined by the 
Mohawks under their sachem Hendrick. In July 
they were collected at the carrying place, between 
the Hudson river and Lake George, under General 
Lyman, the second in command, when a small fort 
was built and named Fort Edward. In the latter 
part of August, General Johnson arrived, and tak- farther 

07 _ ' said of iti 

ing command, removed his forces to the head of 
Lake George, for the purpose of attacking a fort 
which the enemy were erecting at Ticonderoga. 

23. Shortly after his arrival at this place, he was 
attacked by the Baron Dieskau, who, at the head 
of two thousand French and Indians, was proceed- 
ing from Crown Point to attack Fort Edward, when 

lie received intelligence of the position of Johnson, Dieskau 
and changed his route to surprise him. The sud- hfcroS*? 
denness of the attack at first caused the Americans 
to waver ; but soon rallying, they repulsed the foe 
with great slaughter. The Baron, pale* and bleed 



182 



FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR. 



1T55 ing? was found by a soldier near the close of the 
battle, sitting against a tree. While feeling in his 
pocket for his watch for the purpose of surrender- 
was a the ing it, the soldier, supposing him to be in search 
Dieskau.f of a pistol, fired and killed him. The poor re- 
mains of his army halted in its flight at French 
mountain, where they were the next day cut off by 
of his a detachment from Fort Edward, and their dead 
may1 bodies thrown into a lake, since called the "Bloody 
Pond." General Johnson having left garrisons at 
Forts William Henry and Edward, retired to Albany 
and dispersed his army to their respective provinces. 
24. Although this bloody warfare had continued 
1756. for a considerable length of time in America, war 
was not formally declared by Great Britain until 

When 

fo?mauy r -^ay, 1^56, and by France until the following 
declared? m0 nth. At a council of governors held in Albany 
what it was determined to raise from the several colonies 
termined twenty-ont thousand men, and to direct their en- 

atacoun- *. 

erno f r!°in er gi es during the year toward the reduction of 
Albany? Q rown Point, Niagara, and Fort du Quesne. 

T hat 25. Lord Loudon was appointed by the crown 
1e a ™ commander-in-chief of all forces in America ; but 
" ,lted? owing to necessary delay, General Abercrombie 
preceded him and took the command. Abercrombie 
arrived in June, but thinking the forces in readi- 
ness too small for the emergency, deemed it pru- 
dent to await the arrival of Loudon, which Ook 
S a of place in July. Both officers were inefficient, xnd 
!S s h ? offi ' by their delays allowed the French not only * ime 
to strengthen their posts, but to attack those o' the 
English. 

20. Early in August, the Marquis Mon tcalm o *sed 



FORT WILLIAM HENRY. 



183 



expedi- 
tion in 
1757? 



Lake Ontario, with more than five thousand 1756 
French and Indians, and with between thirty and Give an 
forty pieces of cannon, attacked Fort Onta 110 On of Mont- 
the east side of the river, at Oswego. The garrison exped.- 

' & o tion* 

in a short time, finding their number reduced to 
fourteen hundred men, and their commander, Col. 
Mercer slain, were forced to capitulate. One hun- STdid 
dred and thirty-four pieces of cannon, with a large & E su! 
amount of military stores and several ships in the fort on- 

J * tario ? 

harbor, fell into the hands of the enemy. 

27. In June 1757, Lord Loudon sailed from New nsr. 
York, with six thousand regular troops, to attempt what » 
the capture of Louisburg. On the 30th of the same J^Son* 
month, he arrived at Halifax, where he was rein- 
forced by a naval armament under Admiral Hol- 
burn, but learning that a French fleet had arrived why dia 

he aban- 

and that the fort was strongly garrisoned, he aban- don it? 
doned the expedition, and returned to New York. 

28. In the mean time, Montcalm had collected his 
forces at Ticonderoga, marched against Fort Wil- 
liam Henry, and compelled it to surrender. The gar- jjj£^ can 
rison were to be allowed to march out with the hon- what is 

said of 

ors of war, and rejoin their countrymen ; but ^ de " 1 l r o/ 
the Indians violated the stipulation, and butchered E£ Wl1 ' 
a great number of them. It is said that Mont- ^TZ 1 

° Of the 

calm endeavored to prevent the massacre, but he l^Tin 
was held responsible for the act, and there was ac- Mont- and 
cordingly aroused in the breasts of the colonists a 
deep thirst for vengeance that called for more vigor- 
ous measures against the enemy. 

29. Hitherto, disaster and disgrace had marked 
most of the operations against the French, espe- 
rially on the part of the English officers and their 



What 
had 
Mont- 
calm 
done in 



FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR. 



1158 troops. The British nation was indignant at the 
wh at mismanagement of the war, and the king was 



obliged to change his councils. William Pitt 



was 

made in 



i£h E if*~ ( a ft erwai 'd Lord Chatham) was intrusted with the 
why? and public helm. His active mind and enterprising 
genius, seemed to be infused throughout the 
?aid at of empire, through the senate and the people, the 
army and the navy. Lord Loudon was recalled, 
and General Abercrombie appointed commander- 
in-chief. 

Jdhions 30. Three expeditions were planned ; one of 
Kned? twelve thousand men against Louisburg ; one of 
sixteen thousand against Ticonderoga and Crown 
Point ; and one of eight thousand, against Fort 
du Q,uesne. 

Give an On the expedition against Louisburg-, Admiral 

account r & °' 

rai^os-' Boscawen sailed from Halifax, May 28th, with a 
expe e d n i- s fleet of thirty-eight armed vessels, and an army 
tIon ' of twelve thousand men under the command of 

Gen. Amherst, 
what is 31. On the 26'th of July, after a vigorous resist- 

said of J ' & 

render r of ance l ^ ls fortress was surrendered, and with it five 
5£JV thousand seven hundred and thirty-seven prisoners 
of war, and one hundred and twenty cannon, be- 
sides which the French lost five ships of the line 
what is an( ^ f° ur frig at es. During this siege Wolfe served 
woife? next in command to Amherst, and displayed those 
traits of character which afterward covered his 
name with glory, 
with 32. In the mean time, General Abercrombie at 



nin- 



1 the head of 15,000 men, 9,000 of whom were prO- 



did Aber 
from hie 
march 



vincials, was advancing against Ticonderoga. On 
fif'Inde- the 5th of July, he embarked on Lake George, and 



Chap. XV. 



FORT DU Q.UESNE. 



1S5 



on the following morning landed near the head of it. 5 8 
the lake, and proceeded through the woods with What 
great difficulty toward the fortress. On approach- h e a t!ke? 
ing the fort, a skirmish ensued in which Lord Howe ^J e ° d ^ 
was killed. Respected and beloved by the whole mShaa 
armv, his death threw them into confusion, and proached 

J 1 1 the tort 1 

they fell back to the landing-place ; but on the 8th What ef 
they pressed on with all their force to attack the Sit; 

. J r produce: 

fort. 

33. After a fierce and bloody contest of more 
than four hours, and a loss of two thousand men, Describe 

' ' the sec- 

Abercrombie was obliged to raise the siege and re- ™ c d k al 

tire to the head of Lake George. From this place 

he dispatched Col. Bradstreet with an army of three S at of 

. / theexpe- 

thousand men against Fort Frontenac, situated on g,j™ e °/ 
the present site of Kingston, at the outlet of Lake St 
Ontario. He crossed the lake from Oswego, and Fort nst 

Fronte- 

in two days compelled the fort to surrender. Nine «aci 
aimed vessels, and a large quantity of stores and 
goods, were a portion of the rew 7 ard reaped by the 
gallant soldiers. 

34. The expedition against Fort du Quesne, of the 
consisting of nine thousand men, left Philadelphia ^ ngt 
early in July, under the command of General ^net 
Forbes. The French attacked an advance party 
under Major Grant and killed three hundred men ; 

but as General Forbes with the main body of the 
army approached, the enemy deserted the fort and 
fled in boats down the Ohio. Possession was taken 
of the fort next day, and in honor of Mr. Pitt, its 
name was changed to Pittsburgh. The Indians whai 
from the West soon after concluded a treaty of SStheii 
neutrality with the English, and the campaign with ■ he 



L86 



FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR. 



1759 closed with more honor and benefit to the English 
than any preceding one. 

35. The campaign of 1758 had been so success- 
ful, that the vigorous mind of Pitt marked out a 
bold plan for the ensuing year worthy his great 
genius. It was the dispossessing the French of the 
whole of their American territory. To effect this 
design, three large armies were to be led at the same 
pedkions time a g amst three of their strongest posts. One, un- 
planned der General Wolfe, was to ascend the St. Lawrence 
carc- he f and lay siege to Quebec ; the second, under General 
•759? Amherst, was to attack Ticondeioga and Crown 
Point, and then by the way of Lake Champlain 
and the St. Lawrence, unite with the forces of 
Wolfe ; and the third, after the reduction of Niagara, 
was to proceed down Lake Ontario and the St. 
Lawrence and attack Montreal, 
what is 36. General Prideaux, who commanded the ex- 
the d ex- f pedition against Niagara, reached that fort on the 
Salnst" 6th of July, by the way of Oswego, and com- 
menced the siege. Near the beginning of the attack 
he was killed by the bursting of a shell, and the 
command devolved on Sir William Johnson. Soon 
after, he met twelve hundred French and Indians, 
who were marching to the relief of the place. He . 
defeated them and immediately gained possession 
of the fort. 

of the 37. General Amherst, who had been appointed 
against to the command of the expedition against Ticon- 
roga?. deroga, arrived before that place with about 11,000 
men on the 22d of July. It was immediately 
abandoned by the enemy. Having strengthened 



Ckap. XV. 



SIEGE OF QUEBEC. 



187 



Ticonderoga, the army next proceeded against nso 
Crown Point, and took quiet possession of it, the 
enemy having fled to the Isle aux Noix. 

38. The expedition against Quebec, under the A g ain8t 
command of General Wolfe, was the most daring of Queb6)C 
any in the records of English warfare, and its con- 
quest might almost be considered a miracle of war. 
Nature and art seemed to have combined to render 

the fortress impregnable. So great was its strength 
that it was rightly called the Gibraltar o\ America, 
^et the daring mind of Pitt had planned its con- JES" 

, . , ill theexpe- 

quest and selected to carry out those plans the diuon? 
brave and gallant Wolfe. The result showed that 
he was not mistaken in the character of the man. 

39. Embarking at Louisburg with eight thou- 
sand men, under convoy of Admirals Saunders and 
Holmes, Wolfe landed with his troops in the latter 
part of June on the island of Orleans, a little below 
Quebec. Here he reconnoitered the position of the 
enemy, and could easily perceive the difficulties 
with which he had to contend. Before him arose 



VICINITY OF QUEBEC. 



Quebec is situated at the 
continence of the river St. 
Charles with the St. Lawrence, 
about 400 miles from the ocean. 
It has a deep, safe, and capa- 
cious harbor, sufficient to con- 
tain one hundred sail of the 
line. It was an immense for- 
tification, situated on a high 
rock, and stiongly fortified, both 
by nature and art. From its 
great strength, it was rightly 
called the Gibraltar of America. 
The appearance of the English 
army before its walls, gave the 
French but little uneasiness, 
for they considered the place 
impregnable. A more minute 
description of the place is given 
in the following pnge, in the 
account of its capture by 
Wolfe. 




188 



FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR. 



Part Ic 




9 Quebec, situated on the north side of the St. Law- 
enee, and divided into an upper and lower town. 

40. The lower town was situated between the 
river and a lofty eminence running parallel with 
the river far to the westward. The upper town 
was situated upon a large plain which spread out 
on the top of this eminence. Below or east of 
the city, the river St. Charles flowed into the St 
Lawrence, its mouth guarded by armed vessels. A 
short distance farther down, is the river Montmo- 
rency ; and between these, two rivers reaching -from 
JJ» one to the other, and in the city was encamped the 
[rmy en- French army of thirteen thousand men under the 

camped? comman( J Q f Montcalm. 

what 41. Wolfe took possession of Point Levi, on the 

move- 

woife 1 " 1 Dan k °f tne river opposite Quebec, and with bat- 
make? teries which he erected there, destroyed the lower 
town, but the distance was so great that no effect 
could be produced on the chief defenses of the city. 
Wolfe, therefore, determined to leave this position, 
cross the St. Lawrence and land below Mont- 
morency, and then passing that river to attack the 
French general in his intrenchments. 
was 'lone 42. Accordingly on the 31st of July, General 
3jgt of Monckton with a large number of troops, crossed 
the river and effected a landing a short distance 
above the Montmorency, where they were to be 
joined by Generals Townsend and Murray, who 
were to ford the stream at low water. But the 
English grenadiers galled by the fire of the French 
artillery, rushed tumultuously up toward the in- 
trenchments without waiting for the troops who 
were to sustain them. Their courage proved their 



What is 
Will of 

'.he Eng. 
ish sren- 
■titers; 



Chap. XV. 



SIEGE OF QUEBEC. 



189 



ruin, for a close and well-directed fire from the 1759 
enemy cut them down in great numbers. They Whywas 
fell back in confusion, after sustaining a loss of five ™ e 
hundred men, night approached, a heavy thunder- whh- 
storm set in, and Wolfe was compelled to give up tToop *-- 
the attack, and withdraw his troops. 

43. Disappointed thus far, and worn down with 
fatigue and marching, General Wolfe fell violently 3 at f 3 
sick. Scarcely had he recovered, however, before Wolfe? 
he proceeded to put in operation a plan he had ^ hat 
formed on his sick bed. This was to gain the £ ,an had 
heights of Abraham, and draw Montcalm to a gene- o°Xs d 

sick bed) 



ral engagement. The camp at Montmorency was 
broken up, and the troops and artillery removed to 
Point Levi, while to conceal their intention, the 
admiral retired a number of miles up the river. 

44. On the night of the 12th c 1 ' September, the Howwa* 
troops in boats glided silently down the river, and executed? 
landed within a mile and a half of the city, an hour 
before day-break. Wolfe leaped on the shore fol- 
lowed by his men, and immediately began to as- 
cend the precipice. The guards were dispersed, 

and by the dawn of day, Wolfe with his little army J™ r ls 
of five thousand men stood on the heights of Abra- w3fe» 
ham, in bold defiance of Montcalm and his over- 
whelming force. That was a proud moment for 
the leader of those gallant troops, but little did he 
dream as he thought of the coming conflict, that 
before night his body would be stretched cold in 
death on that bloody field. 

45. Montcalm could hardly credit his own senses, what 11 

J > said of 

as he beheld the firm battalions of the English JJj^ 1 ; 
army drawn up in battle array on so advantageous 



190 



FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR. 



*. art I. 



1759 a position. He saw that an engagement was inev- 
itable, for unless they could be driven from their 
position, Quebec was lost. "1 see them," said he, 
" where they ought not to be, but since we must 
fight, I will go and crush them." And immediately 
with his whole army, he crossed the river and ad- 
vanced to the attack. 

46. Wolfe, in the beginning of the battle, was 
struck by a musket ball in the wrist, but binding 

S at f his handkerchief around it, he continued to encour- 
during 'aare his men. Shortly after he received another 

the bat- ° J 

Ue3 ball in the groin ; this he also concealed, placed 
himself at the head of his grenadiers, and was 
leading them to the charge, when he received a 
mortal wound. Col. Monckton was dangerously 
wounded by his side, and the command devolved 

of Mont- upon Townsend. About the same time, Montcalm 
received a mortal wound, and his second in com- 
mand also fell. 

47. Wolfe, on receiving his last wound, was car- 
ried to the rear of the line ; there, leaning on the 
arm of an officer for support, he was seized with the 

Describe agonies of death. At this moment was heard the 
moments distant shout, " They fly, they fly I " The dying 
Sidera" nero ra i sec ' hi s drooping head, and eagerly asked, 
^ " Who fly 1 " On being told, " The French," 
"Then," he replied, "I die happy;" and expired. 
Montcalm lived to be carried to Quebec, and when 
informed that his wound was mortal, he replied, "I 
shall not then live to see the surrender of Quebec." 

[When 

city th s e ur- Five days after the battle the city surrendered. An 
end<!r? attempt was made by the French to retake it in 
760. the following spring, but it was unsuccessful. 



Chap. XVI. TREATY OP PEACE. 19] 



48. Shortly after, they were compelled to evacu- 1T63 

ate Montreal, and were driven from all the important 

posts in Canada. In 1763 a treaty of peace was con- when 

eluded in Paris, by which France ceded to Great peace 
; J con- 
Britain all her northern settlements in America. ^f^ a , 

The bloody war which had so long raged upon the t0 

American frontiers, was at length closed, and the Britain 5 

provincial soldiers returned to their homes to enioy what 

* J J was the 

a short respite of peace before they again took the " t e r ug g)e 
field. The next struggle in which we shall See provin- 
them engaged, will be the struggle for liberty against diers? 



the tyranny of England. 



CHAPTER XVI. 

CAUSES OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 

1. We are now to detail the causes of events, Whal . 
the most interesting of any in the history of the Ewe 

° J J now to 

world ; the overthrow of tyranny and despotism in detail? 
the United Colonies, and the erection there of an 
altar, sacred to liberty. A dark cloud had hung 
over the nations of the Old World for more than a was the 

condition 

thousand years. The rulers were the rich and the worfd° Id 
great, and the rod of empire was swayed by them the Rev- 
with no gentle hand. The groans of the down- 
trodden and oppressed arose faintly through the 
gloom which surrounded them, yet they entered 
the ear of the Most High, and he, in his own good 



192 



CAUSES OF THE REVOLUTION. 



1?6 4 time formed a plan for the civil and religious 

emancipation of the world. 
What 2. A new era was to commence in the West. 
bSis^f The link, which for ages had bound England to 
eminent America, bv the corroding influence of evil minis- 

now to be ' J ° 

the west 1 ? ters ? was t0 De broken ; a new government was to 
be formed, based on the principles of justice to all, 
in which the voice of the lowest as well as the 
highest could be heard, 
what 3. The causes of the great American Revolution, 
cIu?es h of which ended in the firm establishment of our lib- 

the Rev- ' . . 

oiution? erties, lay in the jealousy, tyranny, and oppression 
what is °f tne English government. The British king, 
the d B?ft- like Rehoboam, " forsook the counsel which the old 
ish king? men g ave n j mj an( j t00 ]^ couri sel with the young 

men, that were brought up with him, that stood 
before him," and, in effect, said to the colonies 
" Whereas my father put a heavy yoke upon you, 
I will put more to your yoke : my father chastised 
3 T ou with whips, but I will chastise you with scor- 
whatdid pions." And "when the people saw that the king 
piedoT would not hearken unto them, they took counsel 
among themselves, and a shout went up from 
every hill and valley, city and hamlet, mountain 
and plain, from the rock of Plymouth, to the 
lagoons of Florida, 1 To your tents, O Israel !' " 
What 4. They had freely expended their blood and 
cohnSts treasure for the maintenance of the power of the 
British crown. They had rushed to the battle-field 
and endured every hardship, when the home gov- 
ernment demanded their aid, and then patientlj 
submitted to manifest wrong from the very hand 
their loyalty and prowess had strengthened. They 



the Brit- 
ish 

nrown? 



SYSTEM OF TAXATION. 



193 



had ever regarded England with reverence and 11^5 
affection, and never dreamed of leaving the pater- Howha - 
nal roof, until the unholy chastisement of a parent's refaS 
hand alienated their love, expelled them from the 
threshold, and compelled them to seek shelter and whatdid 

7 m r hertreiit- 

security behind the bulwarks of a righteous insur- m fnt 

rection. £f * 

5. In the early period of their colonial existence, 

Great Britain had troubled them but little about not Eng- 
land trou 

their internal policy, being satisfied with a monop- t D h ^' m in 
oly of their trade. She wished also to obtain periort 
their assistance in the prosecution of the war hmmi ex 

1 istence 1 

against the French. 

The colonies had increased in strength and pop- how had 

° r r the war 

uiation, and the war ended in the acquisition of a ended7 
vast amount of territory to the English crown. 
Then when prudence would have dictated a relaxa- ™o U r ff 
tion of their authoritv, thev rose in their demands have die- 

J 7 . J . tated to 

and increased their restraints. They imposed heavy {Jf^j 

what 
course 

more than one hundred and fifty million sterling. dkeT y 
They forgot that the Americans were descended 
from the same forefathers as themselves, and heirs 
to the same rights. 

To bearing their share in the expenses of the To w 
war, the colonies had made no objections ; but they Som^s 
did object to that system of taxation in which they object ' 
had no right to be heard, 
i?. In 1765, Lord Grenville having previously given what 

scheme 
t-as in- 



What 



and crushing taxes to pay off a national debt of 



notice of his intentions to the American agents in ™ 
London, introduced into parliament a long-cheiished 
scheme for the purpose of raising a revenue from and'by 
the American colonies by means of a stamp duty. 
13 



into par 
liament 
in 1765, 



194 



CAUSES OF THE REVOLUTION. 



IT 65 Petitions poured in against it from the Americans 
how was ar, d at first it met with a strong opposition in the 
ceived *n House of Commons. 

the 

House? 7. Charles Townsend, at the close of an eloquent 
what s P eecn on tne side of the ministry, asked, "And 
emlrks 6 those Americans, children planted by our care, 
»end°in n " nourished by our indulgence, and protected by our 
com 6 of arms unt il they have grown up to a degree of 
mons? strength and opulence, will they grudge to con- 
tribute their mite to relieve us from the heavy loac 1 
of national expense which we lie under?" 
what 8. Col. Bane immediately arose and indignantly 
tepiy of exclaimed, " Children planted by your care ! No : 
your oppression planted them in America. They 
fled from your tyranny into a then uncultivated 
land, where they were exposed to all the hardships 
to which human nature is liable. 

9. " They nourished by your indulgence ! No ! 
They grew by your neglect. 

" They protected by your arms ! They have no- 
bly taken arms in your defense ; they have exerted 
their valor amid their constant and laborious in- 
dustry for the defense of a country which, while 
its frontiers were drenched in blood, has yielded all 
its little savings to your emolument." He conclud- 
ed by saying that " the people were loyal, but would 
vindicate their liberties if they should be violated.' 

10. But the eloquence of Col. Barre and the 
remonstrance of the colonies could not change the 

Eh? avariciou s feelings of parliament, and the bill passed 
rcarchs. Dv a iai 'g e majority. Short-sighted legislators, poor 
readers of human nature, who did not see that in 
»he passage of an act so odious to the colonies, they 



Chap. XVI. 



STAMP ACT. 



195 



were awakening an opposition and spirit of mde- 1? 65 
pendence among them, which would materially 
weaken their own power. The night after the hill 
passed, Dr. Franklin wrote to Mr. Charles Thorn- Whatdid 
son, " The sun of liberty is set ; you must light up Se to 
the candles of industry and economy." Mr. Thom- Thom- 

J J son, and 

son answered, " I was apprehensive that other Sfhis 
lights would be the consequence, and I foresee the reply? 
opposition that will be made. " 

11. By this act, no written instrument could be Wha t 
legal unless stamped paper was used, which they 5-^* 
were compelled to purchase at an exorbitant price 

of the British agents. For a breach of this law 
they were to be tried without jury before any marine vloldtlonl 
court in the colonies. The news of its passage How™ 

1 ° the news 

was received with sorrow and dismay. Parliament j£ s St e 
had turned a deaf ear to their petitions, and showed D y C the d 
by the passage of the act a determination to treat C00IlloS 
them, not as English citizens, but as servants and 
slaves. They must either surrender without a to what 

J alterna- 

struggle their liberty, or oppose strongly and firmly | h v e e y were 
the grasping avarice of a nation the most powerful Qmen? 
in the world, and to which they had been accus- 
tomed to turn their eyes with fond affection as their 
'mother land." 

12. They were not long in making up their de- 
cision and proclaiming it to the world. The Vir- 
ginian legislature was in session when the infor- 

What is 

mation arrived. Patrick Henry, then a young pJJ^jf 
man, but possessed of brilliant talents, opposed it Henry - 
with all the strength of his great mind. He brought 

& & ° What 

before -the house five resolutions which were adopt- t r f ( ;;.'- i ; iiu 
ed, and which closed by declaring, "That any in- 5f 1# K ro 



196 



CAUSES OF THE REVOLUTION. 



advo- 
cating 
them : 



i?(?5 dividual, who, by speaking- or acting, should assert 
or maintain that any class of men except the 
general assembly of the province, had a right to 
impose taxation, he should be considered an enemy 
to his Majesty's colony." 

13. In advocating these resolutions, he boldly 

what did denounced the policy of the British government, 

he say m f J o ' 

and declared that the king had acted the part of a 
tyrant. Growing warm with his subject, and al- 
luding to the fate of other tyrants, he exclaimed, 
with flashing eyes and in thunder tones, " Caesar 
had his Brutus, Charles 1. his Cromwell, and 

George III." " Treason ! treason !" arose from 

every part of the house. Pausing a moment until 
the tumult had ended, he added, " may profit by 
their example. If this is treason, make the most 
of it." 

y«« 14. Similar sentiments flew like lightning through 
Ejjfto the other States. The tongues and pens of the 
to n yir? d citizens labored in kindling the latent sparks of 
patriotism. The press strongly opposed the innova- 
tion, and called upon the citizens to resist it. Be- 
what_ fore the proceedings in Virginia had become known 
theiejfs- m Massachusetts, her legislature passed a resolu- 
m#u? tion in favor of a continental congress, fixed a day 
passed in October for its meeting" in New York, and sent 

prior to ° ' 

this? letters to the speakers of the other colonial legisla- 
tures requesting their concurrence. 

15. On the first Tuesday in October, delegates 

when from all the States excepting Virginia, North Caro- 
lina, Georgia, and New Hampshire, assembled in 

b«ej ]\ T ew York, and agreed upon a declaration of rights 
asserting, in strong language, their exemption from 



Chap. XVI. CONTINENTAL CONGRESS. 



197 



all taxes not imposed by their own representa- i?65 
tives, their right of trial by jury, and drew up a Howma 
petition to the king with memorials to both houses nies were 
of parliament. The memorials were sigued by all senttd,^ 
the delegates excepting Thomas Ruggles of New S^hey 
York, and Mr. Ogden of New Jersey. take? 

16. On the arrival of the first of November, the 
day on which the obnoxious stamp act was to go 
into operation, hardly a sheet of the stamped pa- 
per which had been sent to America could be 
found. It had been destined or re-shipped to Eng- 
land. The general aversion to the act was de- E wa8 
monstrated in a variety of ways. In Boston, the to e the° n 

. . stamp 

morning which ushered it into existence, spoke ™J n _ de ' 
forth the destroying agency, in the mournful accents stratedt 
of the funeral knell. Shops and stores were closed ; 
effigies of unpopular characters were paraded 
through the streets and burned. 

17. In Portsmouth, New Hampshire, the day What 
tvas ushered in with strong evidences of hostility i 
and grief. Notice having been given to the friends L°o r utii, 
of liberty to attend her funeral, a coffin inscribed 
with the word " Liberty, " was borne along in sol- 
emn procession to the grave. The muffled drums, 

the death march, the booming minute guns, and 
the tolling bells as they threw out their mournful 
tones upon the air, gave evidences of the greatness 
of their bereavement. On their arrival at the 
place of interment, a eulogium was pronounced 
upon the deceased. Scarcely was it ended before 
the coffin was taken up, the inscription was 
changed to " Liberty revived/' the belfe exchang- 



# 



198 



CAUSES OF THE REVOLUTION. 



1765 ed their melancholy for a joyous peal, and satis- 
faction appeared on every countenance. 
^vhatin 18- In New York, the act was printed under the 
YoXand title of "The folly of England, and the ruin of 

in differ- J b ' 

tTihT America," and distributed through the streets. 

country? j n <jiff el . en t parts of the country, the stamp-mast 
ers were compelled to resign their offices to prevent 
being mobbed. The stamp act was so formed 
that the penalty of disobedience would be no less 
than suspension of the whole machinery of the 
political and social order, and the creation of a state 
of anarchy. 

what ef- 19. Neither trade nor navigation could proceed, 
would no contract could be legally made, no process 

the act . , . ' r 

on od the a o amst an offender could be instituted ; no appren- 
country? t i ce coa \fi De indented ; no student could receive a 
diploma, nor even could the estates of the dead be 
legally settled, or the marriage ceremony performed, 
until the stamp duty was paid. By degrees, how- 
ever, things began to assume their usual course, 
and all kinds of business were transacted in open 
defiance of the act. 
K-* 3 " 20. Associations under the title of the "Sons of 
were Liberty, 7 ' were formed in every part of the country. 

formed, • J r . J 

"djor 1 hey denounced the stamp act as being an out- 
purpose? ra g e on t jj e British constitution, and resolved that 
they would defend those who fell into the hands of 
British tyranny, on account of their clinging to 
their rights as freemen. Merchants resolved to 
import no more goods from Great Britain until the 
act was repealed, and families denied themselves 
the use of foreign luxuries. 

21. The information of the violent proceedings 



Chap. XVI. STAMP ACT REPEALED. 



199 



of the colonies, was received in England with con- i^ee 
sternation and alarm. It was well that about this How did 
time Lord Grenville was dismissed, and the Mar- receive 
quis of Rockingham, a friend of the Americans, ap- news 
pointed in his place. He, with many others, felt ™; e 
that the stamp act could only be enforced at the Jg£ irj 
point of the bayonet, and that it must be repealed island 

r J ' r how did 

or the death knell of their power would be tolled in ^ the 
America. S> p 

22. A proposition for its repeal was accordingly 
laid before parliament. Lord Grenville strongly Lord 

r & J Grenvillft 

opposed it, and declared that to repeal the act would fj*™ iBi 
disgrace the government and encourage rebellion. Seli? re " 
He demanded when the Americans were emanci- 
pated, and by what reason they claimed exemp- 
tion in defraying expenses incurred in protecting 
them? 

23. Mr. Pitt arose to reply. In his speech he what 

*■ ~ 1 was Mi. 

said, " We are told America is obstinate — America Jj^ 8 re " 
is in open rebellion. Sir, I rejoice that America 
has resisted. Three millions of people so dead to 
all the feelings of liberty as voluntarily to submit 
to be slaves, would have been fit instruments to 
make slaves of all the rest. 

24. " When, asks the honorable gentleman, were 
the colonies emancipated? At what time, say I in 
answer, were they made slaves? I speak from ac- 
curate knowledge, when I say the profit to Great 
Britain from the trade of the colonies is two mil- 
lions per annum. This is the fund which carried you 
triumphantly through the war. This is the price 
America sends you for protection ; and shall a 
miserable pensioner come with a boast that he can 



200 



CAUSES OF THE REVOLUTION. 



Par? l. 



g 7 66 fetch a pepper-corn into the exchequer at the loss 
of millions to the nation ? 

25. "I know the valor of your troops — 1 know 
the skill of your officers--! know the force of this 
country — but in such a cause, your success would 
be hazardous. America, if she fell, would fall like 
the strong man ; she would embrace the pillars of 
the state and pull down the constitution with 
her, 

26. " Is this your boasted peace, not to sheathe 
the sword in the scabbard, but in the bowels of 
your countrymen ? The Americans have been 
wronged, they have been driven by injustice ! Will 
you punish them for the madness which you have 
occasioned ? No, let this country be the first to 
resume its prudence and temper ; I will pledge my- 

w hat self for the colonies, that on their part ani- 

strong 7 r 

dkrte mosity and resentment will cease. Upon the whole, 
conclude? j w >|j ^ ^ e house in a few words, what is my 
opinion. It is that the stamp act be repealed, ab- 
solutely, totally, and immediately." 
Did the 27. The eloquence of Pitt and other kindred 

bill pass 

Houseof s pi l 'i ts at length prevailed, and the bill passed the 
mons'i House of Commons, but in the House of Lords it 
met with violent opposition. Lord Camden, in 
were the advocating the cause of the colonies, said, " Taxa- 

remarks , , 7 ' \ 

Jen in 11 " ^ on anat representation are inseparable ; it is an 
Souse of eternal law of nature ; for whatever is a man's own 
Lords? is absolutely his own; no man has a right to take 
it from him without his consent. Whoever attempt s 
to do it, attempts an injury ; whoever does it commits 
withlhe a robbery." The bill of repeal, after a stormy de- 
KK re " bate, finally passed ; but accompanied with a deckv 



Chap. XVI. NEW ACTS OF TYRANNY. 20] 

ratory act, which declared that parliament had a 
right to bind the colonies in all cases whatever. 

28. The news of the repeal was received with Howwas 
the liveliest expressions of gratitude and joy. Ail 
England joined in the applause. The ships in the Snds e 
river Thames displayed their colors, and the city 

was illumined. In America, public thanksgivings __ 

r o r> How m 

were held, English goods imported, and a general AmtiIK ' d ' 1 
calm succeeded the storm which had raged so vio- 
lently. 

29. By the people of New England and New W hat 
York, less iov and gratitude were displaved and felt, feei?^ 6 

1 J * ° of New 

They feared, from the passage of the declaratory ^f 1 ^ 
act, that this was only a truce in the war against wk * 
American rights. In the mirror of the past they 
saw reflected the future, and trembled at the picture. 
The result showed that their suspicions Ave re just, what 
A change in the ministry took place in July, in in . M» 

J 1 J ' ministry 

which the Marquis of Rockingham was removed, p'j"J e in 
and a new cabinet formed under the direction of July? 
Mr. Pitt, afterward Earl of Chatham. 

30. In June, 1767, during the confinement of war. 
Mr. Pitt in the country by sickness, Charles Town- w 
send, chancellor of the exchequer, brought before g 
Parliament another plan for taxing America, by theT&k- 
imposing duties on all tea, glass, and painter's col- mt.pm 
ors, which should be imported into the colonies. 
The bill passed both houses with but little opposi- 
tion, and also another, appointing officers of the 
navy as custom-house officers, to enforce the act of JJjJ 
trade and navigation. Previous to this new act of thelS" 

lative 

tyranny, the legislative power of New York had °* 
been suspended, until it should furnis..i the king's J™^ 3 ™ 



'hat 
took 



202 



CAUSES OF THE REVOLUTION. 



17 68 troops with certain supplies at the expense of the 
colony. 

ReS 31. Early in 1768 the general court of Massa- 
ofMassa- chusetts sent a petition to the king, and addressed 

chusetts r 

J° 38 l ? n circular letters to the colonial assemblies, asking 



for their co-operation in obtaining the redress of 
the mini- their grievances. The ministry were alarmed, 
mandof and demanded of the court, that they should rescind 
court? the vote directing circulars to be sent. The assem- 
ttie%it bly refused, and the governor dissolved them. This 
o^'thdr attempt to intimidate did but strengthen the oppo- 
sition. 

S at f 32. Shortly after this, a sloop belonging to John 
2eofa Hancock was siezed by the custom-house officers, 
eJoop? for violating some of the new commercial regula- 
tions. The houses of the officers were attacked 
by the people, and they compelled to leave the 
town. The refractory spirit of the citizens of Bos- 
wa h s a Gen ton na ^ been displayed on so many occasions, that 
rected d to General Gage was directed to station a regiment 
do? of soldiers in the city, to overawe the citizens, and 

protect the officers in the discharge of their duty. 
how ma- 33. Two regiments were accordingly ordered on 

ny regi- 

riSf ar * nom Halifax. On their arrival the troops landed 
did 1 they with loaded muskets and fixed bayonets, took pos- 
session of the state house, and planted two pieces 
of cannon at the principal entrance. The appear- 
How ance of an armed force in their midst served only 

were ^ 

ISoked t0 exc ite the indignation of the inhabitants. They 
"he ci?i y saw the hall of legislation polluted by the tread of 

zens, and 
whut 
reason 



foreign mercenaries. Soldiers paraded the streets / 
lif/'the. 6 / anc * g uar ds mounted at the corners challenged them 
as they passed. The din of martial music, and the 



feel- 



Chap. XVI. 



VIRGINIA RESOLUTIONS. 



203 



roar of artillery, broke in upon the quiet of their 17^9 
sabbath, and their wives were exposed to insult 
from the soldiery, as they attended to the sacred 
duties of the sanctuary. 

34. Early in the following year, resolutions pass- What 
ed both houses of parliament, censuring, in the tfon' u " 

r ' b ' passed 

strongest terms, the conduct of the citizens of Mas- parlia :. 

' ment the 

sachusetts, and directing the governor to make £ e ar7 ing 
strict inquiries, as to all treasons committed in that 
province since the year 1767, that offenders might 
be sent to England for trial. The legislature of 

W** at did 

Virginia, on the receipt of that order, passed reso- g*toj* 
iutions denying the right of the king to remove J %n ia 
an offender out of the colony away from his home fhe nne 

iigws ^ 

and his friends, for trial. The governor, on hear- 
ing of the resolutions, immediately dismissed the 
assembly. 

35. The members met in a private house, and JVJere 
entered into a written agreement, not to import me?oT 
anv of the taxed articles. Their example was dSn- 

J 1 edbythe 

extensively followed. The assembly of Massachu- f°j e ™ h ° a r t - 
setts convened, but refused to proceed to business STdid 
while an armed force surrounded the state house, ter into ? 
and cannon were pointed at the door. The gov- JJJ at ^ id 
ernor refused to remove them, and they were ad- onffiL 
journed to Cambridge. jo! sau 

36. Toward the close of the session, the govern- 
or requested them to provide funds to pay for the \ 
quartering of the troops, but they refused, declaring 

that they would never make any provisions to sup- 
port a standing army among them, in times of 
peace. The governor, therefore, prorogued the as- 



204 



CAUSES OF THE REVOLUTION. 



1TTO sembly, and was shortly after succeeded in office 
by Governor Hutchinson. 

37. On the 2d of March, an affray took place 
on r 'The between some of the regular troops and some rope^ 
ofaiarch? makers, in which the soldiers were beaten. Angry 

feelings were roused, and on the evening of the 5th 
a crowd of citizens attacked the city guards undei 
Capt. Preston, pelted them with stones and snow 

Give an 1 1 

account balls, until the word to fire was given in return, 
not when eight pieces were discharged, three citizens 
were killed, and several wounded. The alarm im- 
mediately spread every where, the bells were rung, 
drums were heard, and the cry to arms was 
raised. 

38. The citizens assembled in crowds, and could 
only be dispersed by the governor promising them 

whatbe- tnat j ust i ce should be done in the morning. The 
presto? troops were removed from the city, and Capt. Pres- 
mfu^ 13 ton and his men tried for murder. Although the 
most intense excitement prevailed in the place, )^et 
such was the love of justice, that the soldiers wp' ,fl 
all acquitted excepting two, who were convicted of 
manslaughter. 

39. In England, on the very day of the com- 

Whatbill . . S ' _ ^ . ■ - 

Northin- ml?sl0n °f tnis outrage, Lord INorth was appointed 
K'par- t0 tne ministry. He introduced a bill into parlia- 
iiament? men ^ wn ich passed on the 12th of April, removing 
the duties that had been laid in 1767, excepting 
those on tea, but still declaring th<?ir right of taxing 
whatfi- the colonies. For a long time, no tea was imported, 
duSci 111 " and the effect was beginning to be severely felt bv 

parlia- J 

remove tne commerc i a ^ P ai 't of Great Britain. Parliament 
f?om ta tea? therefore passed an act permitting the East India 



Chap. XVI. TEA THR °WN OVERBOARD. 205 

Company to import their teas into America free of 1T ^ 3 
duty in England. 

40. The naked question of principle on taxation Whatia 
was thus presented. It was an insidious plan, but IhfpJL 
the energy of the Americans foiled it most signally, thus pre- 

^ J r> J seated i ' 

Three pence a pound on tea was nothing-, but 
the principle of tyranny was strong-, and the re- 
sistance was as unyielding as though it had been 
an act of confiscation. Tea was accordingly 
shipped from England in vast quantities, but on wfa ^ 
its arrival, the people refused to receive it. In [Jf 
Charleston, the tea was landed, but not permitted vaioi'ths 
to be offered for sale ; and being stored in damp tea? 
cellars, finally perished. 

41. In Boston, a large company of men disguised ^ at e d o l(i 
as Indians, went on board the ships during the gjjj^f 
night and threw the cargoes into the water. Three £° wlth 
hundred and forty-two chests were thus broken 
open and the contents thrown into the harbor. 
Parliament, in order to punish the inhabitants of whatdid 

1 p-arha- 

Boston, passed the " Boston Port Bill," which pre- J^gj, 
vented the landing and shipping of goods 'at that habit-" 
place, and removed the custom house to Salem. ant " 
But the people of Salem refused to raise their for- whatdid 
tunes on the ruins of their countrymen, and the J b jg 
inhabitants of Marblehead generously offered them fieST 
the use of their warehouses and harbor. 

42. In the following - March, two other bills what ty 

& 5 _ ran meal 

equally tyrannical passed both houses of parlia- ^ ed 
ment. One subverted the whole constitution and nStin 
charter of Massachusetts, taking all power out of lowing 

' ° 1 March ' 

the hands of the people, and vesting it in the 
crown. The other authorized the governor to 



206 



CAUSES OF THE REVOLUTION. 



1774. send to England or some other colony, for trial any 
person indicted for murder, or any other capital 
offence committed in aiding magistrates in the dis- 
charge of their duty. 
For what 43. Shortly after, General Gage arrived to snper- 
S'Se sede Hutchinson as governor of the province, and 

arrive? ° 1 ; 

also to enforce the odious "Port Bill." The as- 
J^fJ. sembly resolved that "the impolicy, injustice, inhu- 
thTal ld inanity, and cruelty of the act, exceed all our pow- 
pass? ers of expression," and declared that they would 
leave it to the just censure of others, and appeal 
to the God of the world, 
whatdid 44. The legislature of Virginia appointed the 
laturepf 1st of June, the day on which the act was to go 
doF ma into effect, as a day of fasting, humiliation and 
prayer, to implore God to give them one heart and 
one mind firmly to oppose by all just and prop- 
er means every injury to American rights. Gov- 
ernor Dunmore resenting this proceeding, dissolved 
the assembly. They, however, formed an associa- 
tion, resolved not to use any East India production, 
until the act was repealed, and concluded by pro- 
posing a " General Congress" of the colonies. 
d1d h con ® n ^ e °^ September, the proposed con- 

meet? g ress 5 consisting of deputies from eleven colonies, 
assembled at Philadelphia. They passed a reso- 
Su : lution highly commending the conduct of Massa- 
tkey ' chu setts, in the conflict with wicked ministers, and 

pass, and ' ' 

See- exhorted all to press on in the cause of liberty. 
uiTy\t d Tbeydrew up a Bill of Rights — entered into an 

ter into? r \ i t r i 

agreement lor themselves and lor their constitu- 
what ents, to cease all importations from Great Britain, 

measures ; 1 

Sir ana adopted measures for organizing committees 



r. XVI. MASSACHUSETTS ASSEMBLY. 



207 



in every town and city, to see that this agree- i?T<i 
ment was enforced by every species of popular in- 
fluence. 

46. They addressed a letter to General Gage, 
entreating him to desist from military operations. 
They also voted an address to the king ; one to 
Great Britain, and another to Canada. Their peti- 
tion to the king entreated him in eloquence the most 
affectionate and respectful, to restore to them their 
violated rights, their rights as English freemen. Whatdin 
In their address to the English people they de- Sfn' 
clared "that thev never would be hewers of wood Sessfo 

ii r " r • • . . the Eng- 

and drawers of water, for any ministry or nation in }jf^ peo " 
the world." 

47. This frank expression of feeling on the part 

of the colonists aroused the indignation of the EngLmf 
British government. America, they said, had long ^ e ^ 19 
wished to become independent, and to prevent this, feeling? 
was the duty of every Englishman, and that it 
must be done at every hazard. 

48. Boston Neck was fortified, and powder and What 
other military stores in Cambridge and Charleston, of safety 
by order of General Gage, removed to Boston. An ado P u 
assembly was called in Massachusetts, but dissolved m 
by the governor. The members then met in Salem, fslmbiy 
appointed a committee of safety, and supplied and chusetts 
sent messengers to New Hampshire. Rhode Island and what 

~ r action 

and Connecticut, asking for their assistance in rais- {^i^ ey 
ing an army of twenty thousand men to act in an 
emergency. England, although she could distinctly 
see the upheaving of the violence of colonial indig- 
nation, refused to listen to the warning sound, and 
determined upon another act of oppression. 



208 



REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 



Part I. 



1TT5 

CHAPTER XV1L 

REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 



1. Matters were now rapidly approaching- a 

What is . . _ . . - , • r 

s&'.d f crisis ; the spirit 01 resentment was being fanned 

the ap- ' r to 

mgCTisis mt o a flame ; a dark and bloody cloud was hovering 
flmi 1 ? over the land, and the great question was soon to 
be decided, whether they should be slaves or free- 
men, whether their names should be blackened 
with the stigma of rebellion, or handed down to 
posterity as the saviors of their country. 

2. On the 10th of February, a bill was passed 
biS at restricting the commerce of the New England 
pariia- States, and forbidding them to fish on the banks 

ment on ' ° 

ofFet? °f Newfoundland. The same restrictions soon 

ruary? a f ter extended to all the colonies. The people of 

what Massachusetts were pronounced rebels, and ten 

other . . 

oaiaeta thousand men with several ships of the line ordered 
lowed ? to America to enforce obedience. 

3. The committee of safety and supplies had 
pSc«e at collected a large quantity of stores and am muni- 
smith 01 ' tion at Concord, about twenty miles from Boston, 
pucakn" General Gage, deeming it advisable to obtain pos- 
to cSn- d sess i° n °f them, sent out a detachment of eight hun- 
rord? dred men, under the command of Col. Smith and 

Major Pitcairn. 

4. Notwithstanding the precaution of the British 
officers, to prevent the spread of the intelligence, 
the march of the troops had been made known by 



Cliap. XVII. 



LEXINGTON. 



209 



Relate 



expresses and signal guns. On their arrival at itts 
Lexington, five miles from Concord, they saw 
the militia of the place were drawn up to receive How dW 
them. The regulars approached within musket Se p fe 

C61VG th<? 

shot, when Major Pitcairn riding forward with ™^* of 
drawn sword, exclaimed, " Disperse, you rebels ! JJ^£T 
throw down your arms and disperse." Not being 
obeyed, he discharged his pistol, and ordered his the dr- 

cum- 

soldiers to fire. They fired, and killed eight men Ranees 
and wounded several others. The rest dispersed, meetin * 
but the firing continued. The enemy then pro- 
ceeded to Concord, and destroyed the greater part of 
the stores. 

5. The militia had in the mean time assembled 
and a skirmish ensued, in which a number were whtll 
killed. The British commenced their retreat, but ensued? 
were pressed on all sides by the now enraged 
Americans. 

At Lexington, they met Lord Percy, with a re 
Enforcement of 900 men. They, however, con tin- whowaB 
ued their retreat. in s ton? 

6. The whole country was in arms. Every 
wall, house, and tree, contributed to shelter some 
exasperated New Englander. A perpetual fire was 
Kept up in this manner, during the whole length of 
their weary and laborious march, until at night, 
with the loss of two hundred and seventy-three how 

J great 

was the j 
loss on 
reaching 
Bunt " 
Hill 



men, they encamped on Bunker's Hill, under the loss on 
protection of the men of war, and the next day BunSl 
passed over to Boston. 

7. Intelligence of these events spread like wild 
fire through the country. The torch of war had 

14 



210 REVOLUTIONARY WAR. Parl |. 

1TT5 been lighted — -blood had been offered on the altar 
What of liberty : fearfully was the death of those patriots 
had ct slain at Lexington and Concord to be avenged, 
evemson Couriers galloped in every direction, beating a 
Sy e f ne drum, an d shouting in tones, that thrilled every ' 
ear that heard, "To arms, to arms! liberty or 
death." The streets of Lexington and Concord 
have been soaked in blood, and the country is in a 
blaze. 

what is 8. Gen. Putnam heard it, and leaving his oxen 
Putnam? in the field, he stayed not to change his far- 
mer's dress, but springing on his swiftest horse, was 
soon seen speeding along the road to Boston. 
Those that saw that rough form fly past, knew 
that wild work would be done. Old age with 
hands trembling from palsy, threw aside the cush 
ioned crutch, and grasped the deadly firelock. Me- 
chanics left their shops, and farmers the plough, 
and bursting away from their wives and children 
sped on to the field of battle, where liberty was to # 
be bought with blood. 
What 9. In a few days a line of encampment stretched 
"xtenfof from Roxbury to the river Mystic, and the British 
camp- forces in Boston were environed by an army of 

ment J J 

*>rmed? twenty thousand men. In New Haven, on the 
news being known, Benedict Arnold, a druggist, 
gathered around him a band of volunteers and 
Amoid 1 marched on to the scene of strife. At Boston he 



What 
plan d 
Arnoli 
'nrm? 



formed the bold plan of seizing the important 
fortresses of Ticonderoga and Crown Point. 

10. Having received instructions from the com- 
mittee of safety to raise a sufficient number of men 



COL. ETHAN ALLEN. 



211 



for the purpose, he marched on to Bennington, 1775 
where he found that Col. Ethan Allen had collected Whowat 
a large band for the same object. They marched nmgtori? 
on together at the head of three hundred men 
from Castleton, and reached Ticonderoga on the 
10th of May. 

11. Thev advanced to the sratewav, Arnold and Describe 

J the expe- 

Allen entering side by side. A sentinel snapped f$™ of 
his fusee at Allen and retreated. Allen rushed up nofdt 1 ' 
the stairs, and exclaimed in a voice of thunder as 
he reached the governor's room, " Come out here, 
you white-livered wretch, and surrender ! " The 
governor started up, and pale with terror, stammered 
out, " In whose name do you demand it ? " " In 
the name," said Allen, " of the Great Jehovah and 
the Continental Congress !" 

12. This was high authority, and the governor 
immediately surrendered. They were equally sue 
cessful in obtaining Crown Point. By this fortu- Se- 
nate expedition, executed without bloodshed, they Sed 
gained possession of two important fortresses, more expedi- 
than one hundred cannon, and a large quantity of 
ammunition. 

On the 10th of May, the Continental Congress 
again assembled at Philadelphia, and issued bills ™,} one 
^f credit to the amount of three millions of dollars, greSin 

May 1 

for defraying the expenses of the war, and pledged 
tne faith of the United Colonies for their redemp- 
tion. 

13. In May, the British army in Boston received what 
reinforcements from England, under Generals Howe, merits 
Clinton and Burgoyne, which, together with the BrWsh 
garrison, formed an army of more than twelve 



212 



REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 



Part 1. 



IT 7 5 thousand men. General Gage now proclaimed 
martial law throughout the State, offering, how- 
^Aln" 6 ever, to pardon all rebels who would return to theii 
Gase? allegiance excepting Samuel Adams and John 
Hancock. 

What or- 14. The Americans, learning that General Gage 
were was determined to penetrate into the country bv 

given to 1 , J J 

pficott tne wa y °f Charlestown Neck, issued orders to Col. 

and why? p rescott on tne evening of the 16th of June, to 
take one thousand men and form an intrenchment 
on Bunker's Hill, an eminence which commanded 
the neck of the peninsula of Charlestown. By 

what some mistake they went farther on and occupied 

was Breed's Hill. At midnight those stern-hearted men 

made, 

didthe7 stood on the top while Putnam marked out the line 
succeed? of i ntrenc h me nts. By daylight they had con- 
structed a redoubt eight rods square, in which they 
could shelter themselves, 
what 15. In the morning the English officers and the 
"eg people of Boston could hardly believe their eyes as 
they saw this redoubt almost over their heads. All 
now was bustle and confusion ; and, in two hours' 
time, all the artillery of the city, the ships of war, 
and the floating batteries, were pointed against that 
single silent structure. The city shook to the thun- 
der of cannon, and that lonely height rocked under 
the bombs and balls which tore up its sides. Still, 
those hardy men toiled on as they never toiled! be- 
fore, heedless of the iron storm that rattled around 
them, until by noon they had run a trench nearly 
d jwn to the Mystic river on the north, 
what 16. The cannonading having failed to dislodge 
*oon? them, about noon General Gage sent a body of 



was done 
the 
morning? 



map. XVII. BATTLE OF BUNKER'S HILL. 



213 



about three thousand men, under Generals Howe 1775 
and Pigot, to carry the height by assault. They ~ 
left Boston in boats, and landing at Moreton's Point, 
under the protection of the shipping advanced in w hatls 
two columns, setting fire to Charlestown on their thebxL 
way, by which act two thousand people were de- gjjjjf 1 ' 
prived of their habitations. 

17. The day was clear, not a cloud rested on the 
summer heavens. The soldiers on the hill gazed what » 

, upon the moving mass below them with a stern and [f e e bat_ 
anxious eye. In the intervals of the roar of artillery, 
were heard the thrilling strains of martial music, 
while plumes danced and standards waved in the 
sunlight, and three thousand bayonets gleamed and 
shook over the dark mass below. 

18. A solitary horseman moved swiftly over the 



VICINITY OF BUNKER'S HILL. 



214 



REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 



Part 1. 



1775 Hill, and rode up to Putnam. It was General War- 
whatof ren * " Tell me" said he, while his lips quivered 
warren? with the excitement, " where the onset will be 
heaviest." 11 At the redoubt," said Putnam ; " Pres- 
cott is there, and will do his duty." Away galloped 
Warren, and as he rode up to the intrenchments, a 
loud huzza rent the air. 
^ hat 19. Nothing could exceed the excitement of the 
see** scene at this moment. Stretched over that hill 
time? and out of sight lay fifteen hundred sons of Liberty, 
coolly awaiting the onset of the veteran thousands 
of England, and sternly resolved to prove worthy 
of the high destinies intrusted to their charge. 
The roofs and steeples and shores of Boston were 
black with spectators. Many of them had hus- 
bands, brothers, and lovers on the hill. At home, 
the earnest prayer went up to Heaven. With 
what intense longing each heart turned to the 
silent redoubt ! 
what or- 20. The English advanced. Putnam rode along 
gfveiX 3 the lines urging them not to fire until the com- 
putnam? man( ^ anc j then a - m at their waistbands. On 
came the battalions, stopping every few yards, to 
deliver their deep and regular volleys on the em- 
Describe bankments ; not a shot replied, but flashing eyes 
were there bent in wrath on the enemy, as they 
slowly ascended the hill and sternly closed foi 
the death struggle. That silence was more awful 
than the thunder of cannon — it told of carnage 
and death slumbering there. 

21. When the hostile columns had almost 

When 

was the reached the intrenchments, the stern order "Fire? 

order ' 

^ven u> run g xvith startling clearness on the air. A sheet 



.he on 
let. 



Chap. XVII. BATTLE OF BUNKER'S HILL. 



2L5 



of flame burst along that low dark wall, and down 1775 
went the enemy rank on rank, as that tempest of 
fire smote their bosoms ; still the battalions strug- 
gled against the deadly sleet, but all in vain. Fu- What 
rious with rage, the army broke and fled for the |Jff eea ' 
shore. A loud huzza rose from the redoubt, which 
was answered by thousands of voices from Boston. 

22. The English officers rode swiftly among 
their flying troops, and finally succeeded in rally- JJ e s ™5» 
ing them. Again the drums beat their hurried chaige 
charge, and the columns pressed gallantly forward. 

On, on they came, shaking the firm ground with 
their heavy tread, until they stood breast to breast 
with that silent redoubt, when it again opened and 
sent forth a tempest of fire and lead, sweeping away 
the firm-set ranks like mists, in its path. Rank 
after rank went down before that fire, until the 
bravest gave w^ay and rushed furiously down the 
hill. Again the triumphant huzzas rocked the 
height, and the slopes of that hill turned red with 
flowing blood. 

23. At this critical moment, General Clinton ar- „ 

7 what re- 

rived with reinforcements. By his exertions the ™SJ^ 

troops were again rallied, and a third time advanced £!! what 

to the charge. Throwing aside their knapsacks uSypro- 

and reserving their fire, the soldiers, with fixed 

bayonets, marched swiftly and steadily over the 

heaps of their fallen companions, up to the in- 

trenchments. Only one volley smote them, for the 

Americans had fired their last cartridges and were 

without bayonets. Clubbing their muskets, they 

still beat back the enemy, until the order was given Dea „ ribe 

to retreat. Putnam could not b ; 3ar the idea of re- £, e at rc " 



216 REVOLUTIONARY WAR Part I< 

1175 treating, and attempted again to rally them. Find- 
ing his efforts in vain, he burst forth into a torrent 
what is of indignation. Yv 7 " arren, too, urged them to another 
warren? effort. He reminded them that Heaven watched 
over their cause and would sustain their efforts. 
An English officer who knew him, snatched a 
musket from a soldier and shot him dead in his 
footsteps. 

24. The Americans retreated with little loss 
what is across Charlestown Neck, which was swept by 
the loss? cannon, and finally took up their station on Wintei 
and Prospect Hills, still maintaining the command 
of the entrance to Boston. The battle-field re 
Who mained in the hands of the English, but the victory 
Sri? was ours. It had been a bloody day. Nearly two 
thousand slept in death on that height, fifteen hun- 
dred of whom were British soldiers. The news 
spread rapidly, and one long shout went up from 
every corner of the land, 
what 25. In the mean time Congress had assembled at 
done b ftt n Philadelphia. Once more they addressed letters to 

the mean 1 J 

time by ^he king, the inhabitants of Great Britain and 
yress? Ireland and at the same time published to the world 

the reason of their appeal to arms. 
Whowas On the loth of June, they elected George Wash- 
com- ington by a unanimous vote to the high office of 

mander- . 

in-chief? C ommander-in-chief of the United Colonies, and 
voted to raise an army of twenty thousand men. 
Washington, who was present, accepted the ap- 
l,d pointment, expressing a sense of the high honor 
which he had received, and the vast responsibility 
ment? °f tne station. He refused to accept any compen- 



Wash- 
ington 
receive 



Cliap. XVII. APPOINTMENT OF GENERALS. 21? 

«ation for his services, merely asking that Congress 1775 
would defray his expenses. 

26. In subordination to the commander-in-chief, Arh0 
Messrs. Ward, Charles Lee, Schuyler and Putnam, pointed" 
were appointed major-generals ; Horatio Gates, ad- sem- 
jutant-general ; and Messrs. Pomeroy, Montgomery 

and Wooster; Heath, Spencer, Thomas, Sullivan 
and Greene, brigadier-generals. 

27. Soon after his election, General Washington, 
accompanied by Lee, proceeded to Cambridge to 
take command of the army, which amounted to Ho w 
about fourteen thousand men. He found them full the ewai 

army? 

of love to their country, but without tents and am- 
munition, destitute of discipline, and averse to JJJat^ 
subordination. By his own energy and the assist- gjS?" 
ance of Gates, order and discipline were soon in- 
troduced ; stores were collected, and every thing 
provided for carrying on their operations. 

28. In July, Georgia chose delegates to Congress, Howma- 
increasing the number of the United Colonies to S^J° niea 
thirteen. J^V" 

The British army was now closely blockaded in 
Boston, and Congress resolved to seize the opportu- congress 

° 1 r resolve to 

nity of sending a force into Canada, and thus an- ^m/to 
ticipating Sir Guy Carleton, the governor of that Canada) 
province, who was evidently preparing to attack 
the colonies. 

29. The army of invasion consisted of about 
three thousand men. Two expeditions were plan w^at 
ned : one by the way of Lake Champlain, under the ^.'J' " 8 
command of General Schuyler, aided by Generals p l£umedI 
Montgomery and Wooster ; the other by the way 

of the river Kenebec, under the command of Arnold. 



218 



REVOLUTIONARY "WAR. 



Part I. 



17? 5 30. Arnold's march of above forty da3 r s through 
whsiia tDe wilderness, at the head of more than a thou- 
Arnold's sand men, is one of the most stupendous things 
through in the annals of war. He marched through a 

the wil- i ° 

demess? f ores t more than two hundred miles in extent, 
climbing mountains and scaling precipices, drench- 
ed with rains, and wasted with toil, enduring 
cold and hunger. Bonaparte fleeing from Mos- 
cow, Julian retreating across the desert, and Su- 
w r arrow over the Alps, are wonderful events in 
history; but the wonder would have been tenfold 
greater, had they encountered these perils and 
hardships in marching after an en emy, instead of 
fleeing before one. 

31. On the 9th of November, Arnold arrived at 
Describe p j n t Levi, opposite Quebec, and on the 13th 
auebe". boldly led his men up the precipice, where Wolfe 
sixteen years before ascended to the field of his fame 
and his grave. Closing sternly around their leader, 
at early dawn these gallant troops stood in battle 
array upon the plains of Abraham. He sent a 
summons to the commander to surrender, which 
was treated with scorn. To have attempted to 
carry the place hy storm, would have been mad- 
ness, he therefore withdrew his troops twenty miles 
nbove Quebec, and awaited the arrival of Mont- 
gomery. 

whom 32. A severe illness prevented General Schuvler 

did the r 

m-'udde- n ' om g° m g t0 Canada, so that the whole command 
anliwhy? of this expedition devolved on Montgomery. On 
when the third of November, he took possession of St. 

did they ' r 

wlsioD 3 " J' jUns ? ana " tnen proceeded to Montreal, which ca- 



of Mon 
•.real ? 



pituiated on the 13th, Governor Carleton having 



Cliap. XVII. 



SIEGE OF QUEBEC. 



219 



was th. 
condif.i( 
of the ii 



previously abandoned the place and fled to Que- 
bee. 

33. On the 1st of December, Montgomery ar- What 
rived, and uniting his forces with those of Arnold, 
marched to Quebec, then garrisoned by a superior 
force. The army was in a miserable condition. fSI? 
Worn out with fatigue, its numbers thinned by the 

ra -ages of the small-pox and the severity of the 
winter, they were but poorly prepared to capture a 
place like Quebec. 

34. After a siege of three weeks in the midst of _ 

o What 

winter, it was determined to attempt the place by Sack* 
assault. On the last day in the year, in the s^n S ? ch °" 
midst of a heavy snow storm, the army in four 
divisions made the attempt. Two divisions were 
to make feigned attacks on the upper town, while 
Montgomery and Arnold with the other divisions, 
were to attack the lower town, at opposite points, 
intending to meet. 

35. Montgomery advanced on the banks of the 



of ice, digging away the snow, and cheering on his gome ' 77 
men as they, one by one, struggled through. With 
his sword waving over his head, he rushed forward 
to the pickets followed by his devoted soldiers. 
After one discharge from the battery, the gunners 
fled, the pickets were forced, but on entering, the 
discharge of a wall-piece from a neighboring house 
stretched Montgomery lifeless on the bloody snow. 
Trie officer next in command immediately ordered 
a retreat. Soon ail had fled excepting one boyish Whore . 
form, who stood by the mangled, body of Mont- 31he 

i • t 1 -i m , r . corpse a 

ffomery, his dark eve wet with tears. That fair Mout - . 

55 J 1 •> gomery? 



220 



REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 



Part I. 



l? 15 boy, covered with the blood of fight, was he who in 
after years was almost president of the United 
States and emperor of Mexico — Aaron Burr, 
whet a 36. In the mean time, Arnold had entered the 
Amoid} town at the head of his troops, bravely fighting, 
when his leg was shattered by a cannon ball, and 
much against his will he was carried to the rear. 
The command then devolved on Capt. Morgan, 
who pressed on through the storm of grape shot, 
and fought desperately for a number of hours, when 
he was compelled to surrender the remnant of his 
brave band prisoners of war. 
vrhatof 37. The death of Montgomery was deeply la 



What of 
Morgan J 



gomery's mented. He died in the flush of heroism, in the 

death. ? 

pride of early manhood, before the laurels which 
were green on his brow could fade in the poisonous 
breath of envy and jealousy, which the great and 
the good so often and so keenly feel. He left on 
the rock of Quebec his blood, and to . his coun- 
try the legacy of his fame. A monument was 
erected to his memory in St. Paul's church, New 
York. 

t . 38. Arnold retired after his repulse three miles 

why-was 1 

rKged below Quebec, where he remained during the 
S" winter, kept the place in a state of blockade, 

Sda in i i i • r r . . 

the and reduced it to distress for want of provisions. 

spring ? r 

Early in May, General Carleton having received 
reinforcements from England, the Americans were 
obliged to make a hasty retreat, and on the 18th of 
viThatis June they entirely evacuated Canada. Thus ended 

Gondii- the expedition against Canada, having" proved an 

Bion of ■ ■ , -i ™- , • 11 

theexpe- entire iaiiure. We can now see, that it was well 

ration ' 

'■Sda? f° r oul " independence that it did so, as the protection 



Cliap. XVII. EVENTS ON THE SEA-BOARD. 



221 



of the province would have drawn away too many 1775 
men from more important colonies. 

39. While these events were transpiring on our Wh , dV 
northern frontiers, English ships were laying waste were* 
towns and cities upon our Atlantic coast. Bristol, S'on 
in Rhode Island, and Falmouth in Massachusetts, Jug 
were burned by the orders of Capt. Mowatt of the ?his lng 
British navy, because they had taken part in the 
rebellion. Congress thought it time to turn their 
attention to the construction of armed vessels. 
Thirteen were accordingly fitted out, a navy estab- whatna- 
lished, and a large number of privateers licensed, 
which scoured the seas and did great injury to the 
English commerce. 

40. Gen. Washington employed in the service what 
several cruisers to intercept the store ships of the done by 

1 1 the criu- 

enemy. Regular courts of Admiralty were estab- sers? 
lished for the adjudication of prizes, and by these 
timely measures much good was accomplished. 

41. One of the most fortunate leaders in these What », 
enterprises was Captain Manlv. of Marblehead. S 

expedi- 

He captured an English ship loaded with ordnance tion? 
stores and ammunition of immense value at that 
time. Among them was a large brass mortar on a 
new construction, which he called the Congress. 
An invoice, it is said, could scarcely have been 
formed of articles better suited to the pressing wants 
and circumstances of the army. Cargoes of pro- 
visions and various kinds of stores were seized to 

What ia 

a very considerable amount. fL i: V r 

J the 'hs- 

42. It is said that the distresses of the Bostonians S" 1 
and the troops there, exceeded the possibility of dS? 



the 



description. They were almost in a state of star- *[£*■ 



222 REVOLUTIONARY WAR. Part I. 

1 1 ? 5 vation, and suffering for want of fuel. The wretch- 
ed inhabitants were totally destitute of vegetables, 
flour, or fresh provisions, and were actually obliged 
to feed on horse flesh. A number of houses were 
taken down, and pews were removed from churches 
to supply them with fuel, 
what ef- 43 Efforts were still made by the British minis 
made by try, to detach New York from the confederacy, and 

the Brit- 



ish to 
detach 
New 
York 
from the 
Union ? 



What 



What is 
Baid of 
Lord 



to retain the colony under their influence. To 
this end, they restored Governor Tryon, who was 
greatly beloved by the people, and empowered him 
to make use of measures to bribe and corrupt in 
various ways. Congress immediately recommend- 
gress on " e ^ tnat " au " persons, whose going at large would 
mend? endanger the liberty of America, should be ar- 
rested and secured." On hearing this intelligence, 
Gov. Tryon was obliged to take refuge on board a 
ship in the harbor. 

44. Virginia, during this year, was involved in 
difficulty through the insolent conduct of the royal 

aSf vS- e governor, Lord Dunmore. The government of 
gima? Virginia was now in the hands of the colonial 
assembly, but Lord Dunmore, who had retired to 
the king's ship, did not abandon all hopes of re- 
gaining his former station ; and in November, he 
issued proclamations, instituting martial law, and 
promised freedom to such slaves as would leave 
their rr asters, and join his party. Many loyalists 
and negroes joined his numbers, when Dunmore 
left his ships and occupied a strong position near 
Norfolk. The Virginians took post nearly oppo- 
site. 

45. Lord Dunmore being completely defeated, 



». XVII. L A ST OVERTURES FOR PEACE. 



223 



again repaired to his ships, where, with his party 1 7 7 5 
of royalists, he became reduced to great distress, Whatoc . 
for want of provisions. He sent a flag to Norfolk K,1k? 
demanding a supply for his Majesty's ships, which 
being refused by the provincial commander, he set 
fire to Norfolk and reduced it to ashes. 

46. Bv this inhuman act nearly 6,000 persons what 

. ... i t was the 

were deprived of habitations, and three hundred ^fkLf 

thousand pounds sterling were lost. 

At length he was obliged to relinquish all at- Where 

tempts to regain his government, and finally, after m ore D n n 

suffering from famine, tempest, and disease, sought 

refuge in the Southern Islands. 

47. Royal government generally terminated whatis 
this year, throughout the country, the king's gov- ^ji ' 
ernors abdicating their governments, and taking Sen™" 
refuge on board the English shipping. tSIar? 

48. An act was passed, prohibiting all trade and what 
commerce with the colonies ; and authorizing the JJctwL 
capture of all American and other vessels found Karlia- 
tradinsr with the colonies, and the crews of these this 

; time 

captured vessels were to be treated not as prisoners, 
but as slaves. 

49. The colonists had sent over their last peti- what 
tion, styled the Olive Branch, to the kins; ; but both steps did 

1 J ' o 7 the colo- 

houses of parliament refused to hear it, alleging SlSto 
that they could not receive any proposition coming recSn 68 

r 1 . 1 -TT .* 1 ciliation, 

110m an unlawful assembly. Until now, they ™ d re how 
hoped for reconciliation with the mother country. SSed? 
This was enough. The rejection of this last peti- 
tion determined the eternal separation of Great thefe* 3 "* 

. jectionol 

Britain and the colonies — the suppliants were sup th ™. ,asl 

it r petition 

piiants no longer. The flag, which had hitherto ,lo? 



224 



REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 



Part I- 



itt 5 been plain red, was changed to thirteen stripes, 
What emblematical of the union of the colonies, 
was 50. At the close of this year (1775), the American 
the flag? army was almost entirely destitute of the supplies 
necessary for carrying on the war, and the terms 
Btlte for enlistment of all the troops expired with the 
S e the y year. Although active measures had been taken 
1775? f or enlisting troops, yet on the last day of December 
when the old troops were to be disbanded, there 
were but 9,650 men enlisted for the ensuing year. 



CHAPTER XVIII. 

CAMPAIGN OF 1776. 

1776. 1. General Washington had continued the block- 
ade of Boston, during the winter of 1775-6, and at 
Bos S to h rf d ^ ast resoive d to bring the enemy to action. It was 
bfoTk- thought expedient to fortify Dorchester Heights, 
M d hat and which commanded the harbor and British ship- 
last re- ping. The night of the 4th of March was selected 

Bolved r » » 

upon? f or ty ie attempt — and a bright full moon favored 
what is them in their toilsome employment. The amount 
the d forti- of labor performed through the night, considering 
rWches- the depth of the frozen earth, was incredible. 
Height? Q rea t preparations were made to defend themselves 
from the raking fire which they expected from the 
enemy's ships. General Washington, was present 
animating the soldiers, and they in turn manifested 
warm hearts in the service. 



Chap. XVIII. BLOCKADE OF BOSTON. 



225 



2. The surprise of the British the next mornjng 1776 
cannot easily be conceived. A few moments suf- Whatis 
need to tell Gen. Howe the advantage the Ameri- GeS. ot 
cans had rained, and no alternative remained for and 

° ' what 

him but to dislodge them or retire, for his vessels j^" 1 
were too much exposed to remain in the harbor. fn g a tht 
It was his wish to attack the Americans, but a cans? 
violent tempest of wind and rain came on the night 
after, and obliged him to abandon his enterprise. _ , SJ , 

> 3 r How did 

The Americans looked on this as the work of a 5J£ eri _ 
kind Providence, in frustrating a design which gard thi« 
must have been attended with immense slaugh- 
ter. 

3. On the morning of the 17th of March, the when 
royal army commenced their embarkation, and the royai-ar- 

J r ^ 1 my leave 

inhabitants beheld, with great joy, the whole fleet Boston? 
under sail. 

By this event they were relieved from a force Howma . 
of 7,575 regulars, exclusive of the staff, which, em- 
with the mariners and sailors, may be estimated 
at about 10,000 in the whole. 

4. This force greatly exceeded the five regiments .JJJJ^ 
with which Gen. Grant vauntingly boasted in Eng- g° nt , s 
land that he could march successfully from one England? 
end of the American continent to the other. Fif- 

• • 1 1 • Howma- 

teen hundred tones left the country with their jgfjg 1 
families on board the transports with the army, not country, 
knowing what part of the world was to be their 
home. what is 

5. The houses and streets of Boston presented a the con - 

1 dilion of 

deplorable scene to the army as they entered. ^ on he 
Wretchedness and desolation were written on every ture a of 
side, and reflected disgrace on the late occupants. tn ?ft p8? 

15 



226 



REVOLUTIONARY AVAR. 



Part I. 



17 7 6 A spacious brick building which, for more than a 
— century, had been consecrated to the service of God, 
was occupied as a riding school for Burgoyne's regi 
ment of dragoons. A beautiful pew ornamented 
with carved work and silk furniture, was demolish- 
ed, and the carved work used, by order of an officer, 
as a fence for a hogstye. 
wL a h- did ^' Gen. Washington requested the Rev. Dr. Eliot 
request to preach a thanksgiving sermon, which he did on 
Dr. Eliot? the 28th, from Isaiah xxxiii. 20, in the presence of 

his Excellency and a numerous audience, 
what The remains of that hero and patriot, Major 

was done 1 ' J 

remain^ ^ en - Warren, were taken from the earth at Breed's 
warren? Hill, placed in an elegant coffin, and brought into 
the Stone Chapel. After the eulogy was pro- 
nounced, the remains were deposited in the vault 
Jongjmd under the chapel. The port of Boston was now 
been Ston again opened, having been closed during two years, 
dosed? ky order of an act of the British parliament, 
what 7. The British resolved on two expeditions for 

Bxpcdi* 

jjons the campaign of 1776, besides the relief of Quebec 
ft n the d ana< tne recovery of Canada. The object of one 
paSnof expedition was to reduce the Southern Colonies — 
the command of which was given to Gen. Clinton 
and Sir Peter Parker; the object of the other was 
Sed uc " t0 £ am P ossess ion of New York. The command 
Se? °f tn is was given to the successors of Gen. Gage. 

Admiral and Sir William Howe, 
what is 8. During this time the most melancholy ac- 
theoon- counts were received from our army in Canada; 
they were subjected to great hardships, sufferings, 
and privations. Destitute of provisions, sinking 
under fatigue, and reduced by the small-pox, which 



dition of 
our ar- 
my in 
Canada? 



DEATH OF GEN. THOMAS. 



227 



was attended with unexampled mortality, they 
were in a state bordering on desperation. 

Reinforcements had been ordered by Congress, 
but when they arrived, they were worn out and 
sinking under disease. 

9. Gen. Thomas succeeded Arnold in the com- „ ru 

What 

mand, and endeavored to reduce Quebec. He sent b y as G d e ° na 
a fire ship down the St. Lawrence, to destroy the iJdwlth 
governor's vessels, intending, in the confusion which success? 
would ensue, to make a desperate assault on the 
town. The design was discovered by the garrison, 
and the attempt failed. On that very day, several 
British vessels came in sight, bringing reinforce- 
ments, and thus cutting off any communication WhywM 
between the different parts of the American camp. Thomas 

r r obliged 

Gen. Thomas was obliged to retreat in the greatest [° jf 

3 o treat 1 

precipitation, leaving behind him the baggage, ar- 
tillery, and whatever else might have impeded the 
march. 

10. Many of the sick fell into the hands of Gen. Wntu 
Carleton, who treated them with great kindness. they dld 
After a toilsome retreat of 45 miles without halting-, with on 

01 their re- 

they reached the river Sorel, where, in addition to treat? 
all their sufferings, they were called upon to part 
with their brave General Thomas. He was vio- 
lently seized with small-pox, which in a few days whosuc. 
proved fatal, when the command devolved upon Gen. ed } 
Gen. Sullivan. 

11. The British forces in Canada under Gen. JJ s a, the 
Frazer, now numbered 13,000. The general place Sf m the 
of rendezvous was Three Rivers, but a party un- force in 

' r J Canada? 

.ier Gen, Nesbit was near them on board the trans where 
ports: while one exceeding the other in number theyVta 



228 



REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 



Part I, 



j T)T6 with Generals Burgoyne, Carleton, Philips, and 

Baxon Reidesel, was on its way from Quebec. 
For what 12. Gen. Sullivan dispatched Gen. Thompson 
'waToen. with a considerable body of troops to attack Gen. 
Bcin°dis P -' Frazer at Three Rivers. Intending to surprise him, 

patched, . 1 

wiThe* tne y ssbiXecil down the river by night, but were dis 
theexpe- covered and defeated with the loss of 200 prisoners. 

Adverse fortune followed the American arms in 
what is everv part of Canada, although the contest dis- 

*aid of J 1 1 c 

played the military character of the colonial officers 
in the most honorable point of view. Gen. Sulli- 
van soon received orders to embark on the Lakes 
for Crown Point, and thus ended the bold but un- 
successful attempt to annex Canada to the United 
Colonies. 

13. An official letter had been intercepted early 
in this year, announcing the departure of a large 
armament from England, under Sir Peter Parkei 
letter? and Gen. Clinton, its destination being against the 



the sue 
cess of 
the 

Omen- 
tal! 



What 

news 

was 

brought 

through 



What 

prep, 
tions 



Southern States. Forthwith the gallant Southern- 
ara- ers began to prepare for its reception. The only 
™ resistance which the inhabitants of Charleston 
by en the could make, was to defend Sullivan's island, and 
charies- the militia of the country were summoned to sur- 
round the capital. 

14. Palmetto trees which resemble the cork, had 
S.? c & been cut m tne forest, and the logs in immense 
afts, were moored to the beach. With these huge 



£ cation. 



palmettoes, a square pen was made with bastions 
at the angles, capable of covering a thousand men. 
When completed, it presented the appearance of a 
solid wall 16 feet wide. 

15. Although ignorant of gunnery, these valiant 



229 



men, nerved with courage, were confident of sue- ittc 

cess, and toiled on in their preparations. The com- To 

raand of this fort was given to Col. Moultrie, was the 

° , com- 

Behind it he placed 435 brave soldiers, with 

31 cannon, the total calibre of which was about 
513 pounds. Much had been said to Col. Moul- 
trie in derision of this rudely built affair. A former 
captain of an English man-of-war, warned them Sheen 
in the most emphatic manner, saying to Col. Moul- derhion 
trie, " Sir, when the enemy's ships come to lay j^'f 
alongside of your fort, they will knock it down in 
half an hour." Moultrie very coolly replied, " Then SV" 
we will lie behind the ruins, and 'prevent the men 
from landing" 

16. Gen. Lee, whose eye had been accustomed whatdid 

... ' -r, Gen. Lee 

to the scientific structures of Europe, requested the ™ f qu ^ 
governor to have it immediately evacuated ; but f e f gel 
looking proudly on the brave men who had sworn 
to protect it, Governor Rutledge replied, " That he 
would never give his sanction to such an ordertne.gov- 

° Y ernoi re- 

while a soldier remained alive to defend it." The ply? 

sequel will tell how bravely they kept their deter- 
mination. 

17. On the morning of the 28th of June, a de- what 
tachment from the fleet, consisting of two ships of $l ce on 
50 guns each, 5 of 28, 1 of 26, and a bomb vessel, ofTh" 
came steadily up, driven by a fair wind. As they June 
neared the fort, Col. Moultrie's eyes flashed with 
delight, and he gave orders to his men to fire. 
That bold onset was an earnest of what followed. Descnbe 
Not a shot was returned from the fleet, until they 

cast anchors directlv abreast of the fort, when a the ac- 

tack 

fearful volley from more than one hundred cannon 



230 



REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 



i t t 6 greeted them, and the battle had fairly com- 
menced. 

what is 18. Gen. Lee had stationed himself atHaddrell's 
Lee s of Point, expecting to see the fort shattered in frag- 
ments? ments in thirty minutes. Hour after hour passed, 
during which time the firing seemed like one con- 
stant peal of thunder ; the fort trembled at times 
like a frightened thing, as hundreds of balls buried 
themselves in the good palmettoes. Lee passed 
over to the fort in an open boat, amazed that an 
English fleet of 266 guns should be kept at bay by 
31 cannon and 400 inexperienced artillerists. 
Describe 19. His astonishment was increased as he grazed 

the bat- - & 

tle - upon the coolness and intrepidity of those noble 
men. Finding his presence of no avail, he left the 
fort, and returned to his old station. An incessant 
shower of bombs flew through the air, and quanti- 
ties dropping within the fort, were lost in the morass 
in the middle. With joy they saw the bomb ves- 




Charleston is situ- 
ated on a point of land 
formed by the junction 
of the Ashley and Coo- 
per rivers, about seven 
miles from the ocean. 
The entrance to the ci- 
ty is through a narrow 
channel, on the east of 
which, and about six 
miles below the town, 
is Sullivan's Island. On 
this island Fort Moul- 
trie was erected, in a 
position which com- 
pletely commanded 
the entrance, and pre- 
sented a formidable 
obstacle in the way of 
an attack on the city. 
Fort Johnson was 
erected on Jame3' 
Island, which is about 
three miles below 
Charleston. 

Gen. Clinton landed with his troops on Long Island, a short distance east, of Sullivan's 
Island, and erected two batteries, chiefly for the purpose of covering h.'s forces when they 
should land on Sullivan's Island to attack the fort. 



Chap. XVIII. ATTACK ON FORT MOULTRIE. 



231 



sel rendered useless, while every succeeding dis- m$ 
charge told with murderous effect. 

20. During the heat of the battle, the flag-staff Whatifc 
was shot away, and the flag dropped on the S fi ^. 
beach. One deep groan of despair was heard staft? 
from hundreds of the citizens of Charleston, who ofthe 

7 agitation 

had crowded the wharves and steeples, and were °- ti ^,, 
watching with intense anxiety for the event of the 
battle. Every face grew pale, as the flag disap 
peared, and many an eye filled with tears. 

21. But the firing continued, and blaze, and smoke, 
and thunder answered from the sea. But a few mo- 
ments elapsed, and they saw the flag shaking its 
folds in the sea-breeze in its former place. Amonsr 

r ° What is 

the bravest of those brave ones within the fort, was t™ 1 of 

' Serjrean 

Sergeant Jasper. Quickly he sprang from one of Jasper7 
the embrasures,, snatched the dripping flag from the 
ditch, and walking the whole length of the works, 
though the balls were falling fearfully around him, 
soolly mounted the logs and supported the flag 
upon the parapet, until another staff was procured. 
A shout of joy rung from the wharves and heights 
of Charleston at the sight. 

22. All day lonsr beneath a burningr sky, they 

J ° o V> . J W hat is 

fought without cessation, and when the level beams Jj} 1 ^ 
of the setting sun lighted up the sea, the battle [f e e , Dat ' 
still raged furiously. Slowly, says one in graphic 
style, the gray twilight began to creep over the wa- 
ter, and at last darkness settled on the shores and 
the sea. The scene now became one of indescri- 
bable grandeur. That heavy cannonade still con- w h atia 
tinued, and still the spectators who lined the main- thesceVo 

attersun 

Land, gazed seaward through the gloom, toward seU 



232 REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 



17? 6 the spot where the combat still raged. Night had 
fallen on the island and fort, and all was dark and 
invisible there, except when the flash of the guns 
lit up its form, and then its u^sterious bosom for a 
moment would be inherent with flame, and it 
seemed as if the sea itself had opened and shot 
forth fire. Around those ships, the smoke lay like 
a dark and heavy storm cloud, through which the 
lightnings incessantly played, and thunders rolled. 
Moultrie and his men could distinctly hear the 
heavy blows of their shot, as they struck the ships, 
and crashed through the solid timbers. 
Seethe finally, the English, despairing of conquer- 

able 1111 ing such men, moved quietly away, and it is said 
repeat- Marion (who was afterward so famous for his 

ed, and - ' S . 

whatef- bravery) nred the last gun as the ships were retir- 
ing, as a parting salute, and so well aimed was the 
piece, that it struck the cabin of the commander's 
ship, killing two oFicers and three sailors. All 
what through the streets of Charleston one loud huzza 



feet? 



sionTof rent the air — " Victory! Victory!" while from 

joy were •* 

given? the little fort went up three hearty cheers, and 
thenceforward it was named in honor of its gallant 
defender, Fort Moultrie. 
What 24. They mourned over the dead bodies of ten 
to'sorT of their band — but they grieved as for brave men, 

both 1TJ-1 • O 1 • ^ , 

Kdes? who died'm the service of their country fighting 
for liberty. Twenty-two were wounded, while 
the loss of the British was about one hundred and 
seventy-one killed, and two hundred and sixty 
wounded. A number of officers were slain and 
their ships shattered almost to a perfect ruin. 

25. A few days after this brilliant action, the 



DEATH OF JASPER. 



233 



Jasper's 
future 
history K 



bold soldiers at the fort were visited by Gov. Rut- 177© 
ledge and many of the fair women of Charleston. 
The gallant Jasper was brought forward, and as a What 
reward for his chivalric act in re placing- the flag were af- 

10 ° terward 

on the parapet, Gov. Rutledge buckled his own |^ lhe 
sword around the stalwart form, while a pair of soldier3? 
elegantly embroidered colors were presented to Col. Wh at 
Moultrie's regiment, by Mrs. Eliott, saying at the 
close of a few words begging them to accept the colors fj| s a e ]£ h 
&c, " I make not the least doubt, under Heaven's S cS™ 
protection, you will stand by them as long as they tne> 
can wave in the air of Liberty." Jasper heard this menU 
speech and remembered it well. 

26. Some time after, during the assault on Sa- What of 
vannah, Jasper received a mortal wound while future 
in the act of replacing these colors on the para- 
pet of the Springhill redoubt. Feeling the damp 

dew of death gathering on his brow, he sum- 
moned his companions in war about him to hear 
his last words. Said he, " I have got my furlough. 
That sword was presented to me by Gov. Rutledge, whal 
for my services in the defense of Fort Moultrie. « of 
Give it to my father, and tell him I have worn it requests 
with honor. If he should weep, tell him his son 
died in the hope of a better life. Tell Mrs. Eliott, 
that I have lost my life, supporting the colors which 
she presented to our regiment." 

27. He then sent a message to a Mrs. Jones, what 
whose husband he had rescued with much bravery did 

J ser 

from the enemy, saying, " If you should ever see 
Jones, his wife and son, tell them that Jasper is 
gone, but that the remembrance of the battle which 
he fought for them, brought a secret joy to his heart, 



!"<"-'-':?€ 
" ' he 

d to 
Mrs. 
Jones 7 



234 



REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 



Part I. 



1^7 6 when it was about to stop its motion forever." He 
expired in a few minutes ifter closing this last 
sentence. 

where 28. The remainder of the fleet set sail for the 
British 6 north, where the whole of the British fleet had been 
Bembie? ordered to assemble. 

During these transactions at the South, the Con- 
tinental-Congress was in session, watching with 
anxiety the aspect of affairs in both countries, and 
revolving the chances for success in the approach 
ing contest. 



ENCAMPMENT AT VALLEY FORGE. 

17T6 

PART II., 

EXTENDING 13 YEARS TO THE FORMATION OF 

THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IN 1789. 

CHAPTER I. 

N the first week in June, Richard whai 

motion 

Henry Lee, one of the deputies was ^ 
from Virginia, made a motion in g"S 
Congress, To declare the Ameri- xy Lee ? 
can colonies free and independent 
States, and supported it by an 
eloquent speech, which found an 
echo in many hearts. It was still 
farther discussed on the 11th of June, when it was 




236 



REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 



i T 76 postponed for subsequent consideration until the first 
what day of July, and at the same time it was ^oted 
^s on that a committee be appointed to propose a full 

taken? 7 7 . • 

declaration. 



Who 
were the 



2. The committee was elected by ballot, and 
of e ?he ers consisted of Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Ben- 
tee^o 1 ' jamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, and Robert R. 



commit 
tee to 
prepare a T 

fuiipec- Livingston 

larafion ? 



laration ? 

Mr. Jefferson and Mr. Adams acted as a sub- 



To 

whom 
does the 
merit of 



committee to prepare the draft, and Mr. Jefferson 
drew up the paper. The merit of this document 
the dee- i s Mr. Jefferson's. Some changes were made in it, 

laration ~ 

belong? on foe suggestion of other members of the com- 
mittee, and by others in Congress while it was un- 
When der discussion. 

coioSes 3. On the Ath of July, 1776, upon the report of 
£ e L a i: the committee, the 13 confederate colonies dissolved 
BritSf their allegiance to the British crown, and boldly 
declared themselves Free and Independent under 
? h a ™ edid the name of the Thirteen United States of America. 
^1°^ In their declaration they boldly expressed the 
ews e s y gi'ievances and oppression for which they could 
declara- not obtain redress, and proclaimed to the world the 
causes which impelled them to a separation from 
the Crown of Great Britain. 
Sfthe 4. The author of a pamphlet entitled " Common 
au pam° f Sense" thus argues the necessity of the measure : 

let 



tihd~ n We had no credit abroad, because of our rebellious 
dependency. Our ships could obtain no protec- 
tion in foreign ports, because we afforded them no 
indepen- 1 justifiable reason for granting it to us. The call- 

dence? . r , n 

mg of ourselves subjects, and at the same tuns 



Com 
mon 
Sense," 
say on 
the ne- 
cessity of 



Chap. I. 



INDEPENDENCE DECLARED. 



237 



fighting against the prince we acknowledge, was a 1 yt6 
dangerous precedent to all Europe. 

5. "If the grievances justified our taking up arms, 
they justified our separation ; if they did not justify 
our separation, neither could they justify our taking 
arms. All Europe was interested in reducing us 
as rebels, and all Europe, or the greater part at 
least, is interested in supporting us in our inde- 
pendent state. 

6. " At home our condition was still worse ; our 
currency had no foundation ; and the state of it 
would have ruined whig and tory alike. We had 
no other laws than a kind of moderated passion ; no 
other civil power than an honest mob ; and no oth- 
er protection than the temporary attachment of one 
man to another. 

7. "Had independency been delayed a few months 
longer, this continent would have been plunged 
into irretrievable confusion ; some violent for it, 
some against it, all in the greatest cabal, the rich 
would have been ruined, and the poor destroyed. 

"The necessity of being independent would have 
brought it on in a little time, had there been no 
rupture between Britain and America. 

8. " The increasing importance of commerce, the 
weight and perplexity of legislation, and the en- 
larged state of European politics, would clearly 
have shown to the continent the impropriety of 
remaining subordinate ; for after the coolest re- 
flection on the matter, this must be allowed, " that 
Britain was too jealous of America to govern it 
justlj ; too ignorant of it to govern it well ; and 
too distant to govern it at all." 



238 



REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 



Part II 



me 9. This pamphlet was universally read, and 
what most highly admired. The language was plain 
was pro- and forcible, and produced a powerful effect on the 
the^pam- public mind. The principles of hereditary govern- 
ment were ridiculed, while the excellences of 
republican institutions* were faithfully portra} r ed. 
S at 10. According to recommendation of Congress, 

mended those colonies that had not vet adopted Constitu- 
te Con - • •, • n t !• i « I 

gres? to tions, were advised to establish " such governments 

<he <;olo- ' _ & 

,ies? as might best conduce to the happiness and safety 
of the people." The colonies had become accus- 
tomed to look upon themselves as sovereign States, 
and the recommendation was generally complied 
with, and the government was in every instance 
entirely elective, and at such short periods as to 
impress upon the rulers their immediate |ccounta 
bleness to the people, 
what '' 11. The subject of independence had for some 
fought time agitated the public mind, and various opinions 
of b indt were entertained relative to that momentous trans- 
duce by action. Some objections were raised, as it was 

the pub- 

Kc ' considered doubtful whether the grand object, lib- 
erty, could be gained. And when we reflect on the 
deranged condition of the army, the fearful defi- 
wefook C ^ enc y °f ^sources, and the little prospect of foreign 
wonder assistance, and at the same time contemplate the 
? JO id hls prodigious powers and resources of the enemy, we 
" look with wonder upon this bold measure of Con- 
gress. 

what is 12- It has been said, that the history of the world 
the d for f ti- cannot furnish an instance of fortitude and heroic 
*e ? Men- magnanimity parallel to that displayed by the 
members, whose signatures are affixed to the Dec 



menthad 
failed ? 



Chap. I. DECLARATION RECEIVED WITH JOY. 239 

laratioD of American Independence. Their vener- 
ated names will ornament the brightest pages of 
American history, and be transmitted to the latest 
generations. 

13. A signature to this paper would be regarded JJjjft 
in England as treason, and expose them to the Seen the 
halter or the block. These brave men knew well queues 

to them 

what an ignominious death awaited them, in case ^JM? 
their experiment| failed. But they had counted the 
cost, and realized the responsibility of their station. 
As a nation the American people, in their helpless- 
ness, bowed before the omnipotent Ruler of the whom 

' r did they 

world, and besought his protection and guidance. Jjd k an5 
They felt that their cause was just, they were op- Sl e " 
pressed in their dearest rights and privileges, and 
they hesitated not to appeal to Heaven for aid. 

14. The President of Congress, John Hancock, whatis 

° 7 7 said of 

led the way in this bold work, and the. original 
paper still exhibits the characters written by nO signers? 
coward's hand. Of all the 56 signers, but one 
hand trembled as they signed what might have 
proved their own death warrant. The name of 
Stephen Hopkins is traced in trembling lines owing 
to a severe attack of palsy, with which he had 
been afflicted. 

15. The pen with which these signatures were 
made, is now in the cabinet of the Massachusetts 
Historical Society. But the signers have all gone. ^^J 3 
Their bodies are at rest in the tomb, but they live Jj^'J, 
in their example, in the recorded proofs of their exJmS 
own noble actions, principles, and opinions, which 

for succeeding generations will act upon the affairs 
of men throughout the civilized world. 



240 



REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 



What is 
said of 
the last 
of this 
band ? 



1TT6 16. Charles Carroll of Carrolton was the last of 
this venerable body who survived. He lived to see 
one after another leave the stage of life, and go 
down to the grave with whitened hairs. The lon- 
gevity of the signers has been frequently noticed. 
W id at of 17. The average lives of the New England 
?evhy n of delegation (14 in number) was 75 years. Four of 
ers of the the others lived to the age of 90 and upward ; 14 
tion? exceeded 80 years, and most of the others reached 
the age of threescore years and ten. They had 
what lived to see the goodness of the Lord in granting 
n^cmdd them freedom from oppression, and in their ad- 
to e tneir a ^ vancecl age could bear testimony to their posterity, 

that God was the hearer and answerer of prayer. 
XL at An- 18- Anthon says in his Lives of the Signers to 
ta°his ay the Declaration, " It remains to us to cherish their 
£Je sW£ memory, and emulate their virtues, by perpetuating 
Son" ra " an d extending the blessings which they have be- 
queathed. So long as we preserve our country 
this fame cannot die, for it is reflected from the sur 
face of every thing that is beautiful and valuable in 
our land. We cannot recur too often nor dwell too 
long on the lives and characters of such men; for 
our own will take something of their form and 
impression from those on which they rest. If we 
inhale the moral atmosphere in which they moved, 
we must feel its purifying and invigorating in- 
fluence." 

Howwas 19. Yoices of joy throughout the Union welcom- 
bratiort" ed the declaration. From old and younsr, master 

received 111 1 T 1 1 

by old anc i servant, the glad tones were echoed, America 
u?nnf?h- is, and of a right ought to be, a free and indepen- 

out the 7 , . . 

union? dent nation. 



Cfrap. I. DECLARATION RECEIVED WITH JOY. 241 



20. In Virginia, the rejoicings were almost be- 
yond description. The name of King George was What 
suppressed in all public prayers, and the great seal £ a vi d r°" e 
of the commonwealth represented Virtue as the 
tutelary genius of the province, trampling on ty- gf^^ 
ranny, under the figure of a prostrate man wmose l^tclm 
crown had fallen from his head, and bearing in one wealth, 
hand a scourge and the other a chain. The words 

Sic semper tyrannis were inscribed around the 
effigy of Virtue. The reverse represented Liberty 
with her wand and cap ; Ceres, with a horn of 
plenty in one hand and a sheaf of wheat in the 
other, and at the foot these words : Deus nobis hcec 
otia fecit. 

What 

21. In New York, the leaden statue of George was done 

' ° with the 

III. was taken down and converted into bullets. SKSe 01 

In Boston, thirteen salutes, corresponding to the New 111 
number of American States, were fired, and Kins 

' ' ° What 

street received the name of State street. The bells 
rang out a joyous peal, while members of the coun- ton? 
cil and House of Representatives, magistrates, 
clergymen, selectmen, assembled to hear the news 
proclaimed, and in the loud huzzas from the con- 
course of people, every voice joined. After ensigns 
of»royalty, lions, crowns and sceptres were destroyed, wnatdid 
the people felt that they were forever absolved from piefeei» 
all allegiance to a tyrant's throne. 

22. The British ministry were confounded at What 18 
what they called the daring enormity of the colo- the sur- 

, . . , , prise of 

nist.s, in spurning their mighty power and authority, the Bnt- 
They were surprised, that rebels dared to show ^y- a ™j 
such temper and spirit. Forthwith they determined termiiie 
by augmented forces to crush them at a blow, and 
16 



242 REVOLUTIONARY WAR Part IL 

it 76 to coerce them into a sense of duty and submission 
to their king. 

whatfor- 23. Doubting the competency of their own power 
prfnces to subjugate the colonies, the English parliament, 
English at an immense expense, resorted to the aid of foreign 
ment ob- troops to prosecute their bloody work. They en- 
troops? tere( j mt0 a treaty with several German princes to 
furnish 17,000 men, to aid in reducing the Ameri- 
what cans to vassalage. Besides the wages parliament 

was said . . . 

to be the paid these foreigners, the terms m the treaties stipu- 

expense r o ; r 

iand n of lated that thirty pounds sterling should be paid for 
troops? each soldier slain, and fifteen for each one disabled. 
It was asserted in the House of Lords, that the ex- 
pense to England for these foreign troops was not 
l ess than 1,500,000 pounds for one year, 
with the 24. With a horde of Hessians, Brunswickers, 
army, Waldeckers, English. Scotch and Irish came two 

and with ' ' 

commissioners, Lord Howe and General Howe, 



powers 

they m- with powers to restore peace to ihe colonies, and 

vested? r 1 . . . 

Md ere g rant pardon to such 01 nis majesty s subjects as 
when did snou id deserve clemency. These royal commis- 
bywhom sioners landed at Staten Island on the 12th of July, 
they . and about the same time Gen. Clinton arrived with 

joined? 
When 
did Gen. 

arrive under Gen. Howe, which had evacuated Boston, 

from 



the shattered fleet from Charleston. The troops 



Boston? reached Staten Island on the 2d of July, so that 

What J ' 

f 7em,m e the British army here amounted to 24,000. When 
English ! the Hessian troops joined, the army would consist 
vafofthe °^ ^OOO of the best drilled soldiers in Europe. 

25. In June, Gen. Howe had announced his 
^rocia- proclamation of pardon to all well-disposed rebels, 

mat ion i • l i • i 

gGen and promised a large remuneration to any who 
wV 11 should aid in re-establishing theToyal authority. 



Cliap. I. 



INSOLENCE REBUKED. 



243 



Congress boldly and wisely caused this proclama- n-re 
tion to be printed with accompanying remarks, How did 
showing the people its insidious nature, and ad- 



Congresa 
treat this 

using them to be true to their own cause. matron? 



26. The commissioners then dispatched Col. JJgJ^ 
Patterson, adjutant- general of the British army to f e d tte v ^' 



Gen. W ashington at New York with letters l'e- inffton? 
specting their mission, but as the letters were not KfiS 
directed in a manner expressive of his official %iJT 
capacity, his Excellency refused to receive them. 

27. In a few days after, Col. Patterson again howwu 

° the next 

waited on Gen. Washington, with a letter directed 
to George Washington. Esq., fyc, fyc, fyc, which £gtS? h " 
they hoped would remove all difficulty, as the three 
et ceteras might be understood to imply every 
thins: that ought to follow. Gen. Washington ab- 
solutelv declined receiving this letter, adding that J?™** 

cj ' o to te- 

as the three et ceteras miglit mean every thing, ^aiso? 
they might also mean any tiling, and he must 
have all public letters directed to him according to 
his rank. 

2S. Col. Patterson then said that the letters con- JJat&d 
tained offers of pardon, (fee, to which Gen. Wash-. Lay, and n 
ington coollv replied, that the Americans had was the 
committed no wrong, and therefore wanted no par-]g*-, 
dons : they were only defending what they deemed 
their indisputable rights. Col. Patterson mani- 
fested great solicitude that the letters might be 
received, and a reconciliation take place. Gen. °^ vhat 
Washington with firmness and dignity refused. ^Ston 

29. Gen. Washington was well assured that mdwbat 

pre para- 
warlike operations would speedily follow, and forth- J» im _ 

with preparations were made to fortify New York, Sej 



244 



REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 



Part II. 



lit 6 an d increase the army. The possession of New 

whTdid York was a favorite object of the British, on 

lish w n ifh account of its central situation, and the ease with 

pps se^ in which possession could be maintained. In April, 

YoX? Gen. Washington had fixed his head-quarters in 

where that city, and endeavored by every means in his 

I£ s power to prepare for its defense. 

quarters 7 30. The greatest part of his army was stationed 

where in New York, while a division was ordered to Can- 
was the 

pS- a( ^ a ? an d another left in Massachusetts. Two de- 
tioned 8 ?" tachments guarded Governor's Island and Paulus 
where Hook, while Gen. Clinton with some militia, 
ciinton ' observed New Rochelle, East and West Chester, in 

station- ' 7 

for' whit order to prevent the British from landing on the 
purpose ? N th q G reene had been ordered in the 

What 

GreenT' spring to occupy Long Island, and had thoroughly 
todo r ? d examined the ground, established his posts, and 
made great preparations for meeting the enemy, 
whosuc- At this most critical moment he was seized with a 

ceeded 

hisSfk- bilious fever, which prostrated him for many days, 
why was Putnam was ordered to succeed him, and from 
pared for his ignorance of the ground, was unprepared, in 
whatpo evei T wa y? f° r an efficient defense. His army 
hSrmy occupied Brooklyn, the left wing resting on Walla- 
where' Dout P av > n * s right was bordered by a marsh near 
sum- Gowannus Cove. Gen. Sullivan guarded the coast 
forces? and the road from Bedford to Jamaica, 
what 31. The continental army numbered only 10,514 

was the J J 7 

of tn b e er e ff ectlve soldiers, and these were so circumstanced 
armyJ that but a small part could be brought into action. 



Howma- Thirteen thousand troops were ordered to join the 
Ked e army, which with the invalids and men destitute 

to join it? J 

of arms, would increase the number to 27,000. 



BATTLE OF LONG ISLAND. 



245 



32. On the 22d of August, the British forces 1776 
under Generals Clinkm, Cornwallis, Percy, and When 
Grant, landed on the southern shore of Long Island, where 
causing the inhabitants to flee in terror before English 

, forces 

them. Many of them fired their own houses and Jjgjj^j 
stacks of grain, to prevent their becoming British habitant* 
property. The two armies were about four miles ?heir 0n ap- 
distant, separated by a range of hills running from By what 

7 r v o o were the 

east to west. g^w- 

33. Over these hills called the heights of Gowan- arated? 

° Describe 

nus were three roads : one by the Narrows, through J£ r ®$ f " 
which Gen. Grant passed ; another by Flatbush, ™,b\th 
through which the Hessians under Gen. Heister my took 
marched ; and the third road by way of Flatlands, 
which was taken by the column under Gen. Clin- 
ton. It was important that these passes should 
have been thoroughly guarded, but Gen. Clinton what 

feint did 
Gen. 
Clinton 



on the morning of the 27th gained possession of 
one of the defiles without any resistance. The make°to 
British were seen advancing on the other roads, and the. at- 

° ' < tention 

the American troops were drawn up from their fj^l 

cans 



camps to oppose them. from his 

34. These movements of the enemy proved to be force? 
only feints to divert the attention of Gen. Putnam 
from the main body, who were cautiously and 
silently advancing under Gen. Clinton by the road When 
on the left. Early on the morning of the 28th, an 
attack was made by the Hessians and a detach- £tack he 

1 /~i mi * • made? 

ment under Gen. Grant. The Americans were 
fighting bravely when first informed of the approach 
of Gen. Clinton, who had passed round to the left. 

35. In this desperate situation, the affrighted 
Americans had no safety but in retreat. They 



246 



REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 



Part II 



17T6 endeavored to regain their camp, but were inter- 
what cepted by the light infantry f and dragoons of Gen. 
situation Clinton, who drove them back on the Hessians, 
ciinton An awful scene of butchery took place during a 
proach- succession of attacks and many were taken prison- 
ers. For six hours several regiments of the Amer 
Describe icans under Lord Stirling, continued fighting in 
tiou - this desperate manner, but being ignorant of the 
movements made by Gen. Clinton, their retreat 



VICINITY OF NEW YORK. 




The British urmy occupied the plum extending from the Nanows to 
Commanded the left win? near the coast, De Heisfer, wiih the Hessian 
Sir Henry Clinton the right 



The city of New 
York stan is on the 
south-east end of 
an island anciently 
named Manhattan, 
but now called by the 
name of the city. The 
Hudson or North riv- 
er bounds it on the 
west. It is about fif- 
teen miles long, and 
only two broad. The 
American army was 
posted partly at New 
York and partly on 
Long Island. On the 
2d of July the Brit- 
ish landed without 
opposition on Staten 
Island, which lies on 
the coast of New Jer- 
sey, and is separated 
from Long Island by a 
channel called the 
Narrows. 

The American divi- 
sion on the island, 
about 11,000 stron?. 
occupied a fortified 
camp at Brooklyn, op- 
posite New York, un- 
der the command of 
Putnam, Sullivan, and 
Briffadi'r-general Lord 
Sterling. 

On the 22d of Au- 
gust. Gen. Howe de- 
termined to com- 
mence active opera- 
tions, and crossed the 
Narrows without op- 
position, and landed 
on Long Island be- 
tween Utrecht and 
Giavesend. A range 
of woody lulls run- 
ning from the Nar- 
rows to Jamaica sep- 
arated the two armies. 
Flatbush. Gen. Grant 
troops, the centre, and 



BATTLE OF LONG ISLAND. 



247 



was intercepted. Many, however, broke through m G 
and escaped to the lines. 

36. The Americans defended themselves with Inwhat 
great bravery, but were unequal to the contest, ttmy 
The British possessed the most decided advantage thTad- 

1 _ ° vantage* 

in numbers, artillery, discipline, and experience. 
That Washington should be able to keep the field ^ e S a9 
at all, with these ever shifting, undisciplined, unfur- earned 

a wonder 
that 

wash- 
stranger it is, that he should ever have risked them ™g»n 



nished troops, has been proclaimed a wonder ; much o» 
stranger it is, that he should ever have risked them 
in open fight. Not that they lacked bravery or 
patriotism, or that they could not form squares to 



the field 
with the 

repel cavalry, or display their ranks to make a ™£f hia 
charge ; but they could not even change front in mand? 
battle, or execute the most simple manoeuvre to 
prevent being outflanked, without being thrown into 
greater or less disorder. 

37. In this instance. British discipline triumphed Et did 

i i ii e English 

over the mere desperation and bravery of raw 

r J line tn 

troops, whose officers even were not acquainted with umph? 
the science of war. The American loss, according S a the 
to Gen. Washington's computation, was 1,000. caTand 

° r ' ' what the 

Among the prisoners were Generals Sullivan and f^f^l d 

Stirling, and 82 other officers of various ranks. W e r e 

The British loss was estimated at 450. the pris- 

oners ? 

38. This battle was considered the most unskil- what is 
ful and imprudent one fought during the war. this Dat- 

r S £> tie, an{1 

Had the British shown sufficient energy, all the ^Jjjf 
Americans except the cavalry might have been S s lce it 
secured or slain. The battle was fought against foueht ' 
the advice and wish of Washington, and but for 
his consummate skill and energy, the whole army 
would have been lost. 



248 



REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 



Part II 



it 7 6 39. During the engagement, Gen. Washington 
whatis crossed over from New York to Brooklyn, and his 
\vih- { stout heart was moved to anguish, <on seeing so 

.ngton 



he saw many of his best men slaughtered. Had he. in this 

so many J ~, 

Sen** 8 moment of affliction, acted from impulse or for vain- 
tSel?" glory, he might have drawn all his troops from the 
encampment and from New York, but on mature 
deliberation, he decided to preserve his army for 
the future. 

where 40; Gen. Greene tossing on his sick bed, heard 



»vas 



Greene the thunder of the first cannon as it shook the 

during 



tne 
tion 
what is 



) |„ d house in which he lay helpless, and half rising 
Idd^f from his feverish couch, he clasped his hands, ex- 
claiming on the affliction of " being confined at 
such a time" His brave heart was wrung with 
such sorrow as only heroes know, and as the up- 
roar of the combat increased, his agitation became 
intense. Explosion after explosion shook his bed. 
and constant inquiries were made as to the fate of 
the battle. At last, when told that his favorite 
regiment had been terribly handled, and cut to 
pieces, he could contain himself no longer, but burst 
into an agony of tears. 
whall3 41. After this distressing defeat, our army re- 
the army treated within their lines at Brooklyn, and were 

after this , . 1 r • ■* 

defeat? exposed to the greatest hazard; the troops fatigued 
and discouraged by defeat, a superior enemy in 
WbsA their front, and a powerful fleet about to enter the 
S^ved it T^ast river with a view of effectually cutting off 
destruc- their retreat; the care of Providence, and the wis- 
dom and vigilance of Washington, preserved them 
from destruction. 

42. Having resolved to withdraw his troops from 



Chap. I. 



Washington's retreat. 



249 



iheir hazardous position, he crossed over to the Isl- 17^6 
and on the night of the 29th of August, and in When 
person conducted the retreat in so successful a man- what to 

, , , place did 

ner, under circumstances the most trying", that it the army 

7 J 01 retreat? 

is considered a remarkable example of good gener- 
alship. A circumstance, which is remarked as JJJg 
manifestly providential, is, that a thick fog envel- cKS- 
oped the whole of Long Island in obscurity about n^**" 
2 o'clock in the morning, which at this season of 
the year is quite unusual, while the atmosphere on 
the opposite bank was perfectly clear. 

43. About 8 o'clock in the evening, the troops Describe 
began to move in the greatest silence. A violent treat, 
north-east wind, and the ebb tide, which rendered 

the current very rapid, prevented the passage. 
Many hearts beat anxiously, for much depended 
on this retreat. Suddenly and unexpectedly the 
wind veered to the north-west. They were imme- 
diately wafted over, and in a few moments landed 
in New York. 

44. Never was any movement more manifestly 
favored by Providence, and the Americans felt and stances" 1 

^ ' are given 

openly acknowledged the especial care of God in geintef- 
so signally favoring their safe retreat. The wind ofprovi- 
seemed to change, at one time, exactly to their 
need, and at another, an unusual fog veiled them 
from an enemy so near, that the sound of their 
pick-axes was plainly heard. 

45. The field artillery, tents, baggage, and 9,000 
men were conveyed over a river upward of a mile 
wide and landed at New York in less than 13 hours. 
Gen. Washington saw one regiment after another 
safely depart, and, notwithstanding the entreaties 



250 



REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 



Howe 
send to 
Congress 
nfter this 
defeat ? 



17 T6 °f hi s officers, was the last to leave the shore. 
In a few minutes after the rear-guard had left the 
lines, they were entered by the British. 
What 46. Lord Howe, "supposing that the hostile spirit 
fid Lofd of the rebels must have been humbled by this de- 
feat, sent a message to Congress stating that his 
Lordship was desirous of a conference with some 
of the members as private gentlemen. The mem- 
bers aid not consider themselves justified in doing 
wa h s a the this ; but, ever desirous of establishing a peace on 
con- reasonable terms, offered to send a committee to 

gress? ' 

inquire whether his lordship had any authority to 
treat with persons authorized by Congress for this 
purpose, and what that authority was, and also to 
hear such propositions as he should think proper to 
make. 

47. Accordingly Dr. Franklin, John Adams, and 
Edward Rutledge, were chosen to meet with Lord 
Howe on Staten Island. The first proposition of 
his lordship was, that the colonies should return to 
their allegiance and obedience to the government 

Howe? f Great Britain. The committee replied, "It is 
What not to be expected after the contempt with which 
reply*! our former humble petitions have been treated ; 
mittee? and it was not till the last act of parliament, which 
denounced war against us, and put us out of the 
king's protection, that we declared our independ- 
ence, and now it is too late for oppressed and indig- 
nant people to return to a dependent state." The 
committee conducted the business with great dig- 
nity and judgment. 

48. Gen. Washington finding New York city an 
unsafe place, as he w T as in danger of being sur- 



Who 

were ap 
pointed 
lo meet 
Howe ? 



What 
was the 
proposi- 
tion of 



Washington's retreat. 



251 



rounded, retired with his whole army about nine 
miles to the north. This also was a hazardous Whal 

move- 
ment did 



\V;tsh- 



undertaking ; but he was allowed by a protecting 
Providence to effect it — though under a heavy m 

° • make, 

cannonade from the British shipping. and why; 

49. A circumstance occurred on the route which What 
excited considerable interest. Major-general Put- EJT 
nam, at the head of 3,500 continental troops, was 

in the rear, and the last that left the city. In order 
to avoid any of the enemy that might be advancing 
by the main road, he chose another near the North 
river, and parallel with it. But at the same time 
he little suspected, while he was swiftly marching 
with his weary and dispirited soldiers, that a body 
of 8,000 British and Hessians was advancing on the 
same road. Most fortunately for the fate of the 
Americans, the British generals seeing no prospect 
of engaging our troops, halted their own and re- 
paired to the mansion of Mr. Robert Murray, a house 

1 ^ ' were tha 

firm friend to the cause of American independence. 
Mrs. Murray kindly offered them cake and wine, tained? 
and they were induced to tarry there some hours. 

50. In the mean time, the soldiers of Putnam 
reached the cross road, and thus escaped a ren- 
counter with a greatly superior force. Ten minutes 
more would have been sufficient to have brought 
them together, and thus cut off Gen. Putnam's 
retreat. Mrs. Murray was often afterward noticed 
in terms of high commendation. 

51. The enemy immediately took possession of 
the city. A few days afterward a most destructive 

fire broke out and raged so violently, that about said of 
1,000 houses were consumed. Some of the finest 



252 



REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 



Part II. 



ittg edifices were destroyed. It was estimated, tha 
about one-quarter of the city was laid waste. Some 
supposed the disaster was occasioned by American 
emissaries, and others maintained that it was purely 
accidental. 

what 52. It was found, by sad experience, that 



pefience little dependence could be placed on an army of 

taught r r . J 

l A he . militia, whose terms of service were so limited, 

Amen- ' ' 

fes n pect- that they were continually passing from the 
St 1011 camp to their farms. It had been the fond hope 
of the Americans, that the struggle for their inde- 



What is 



pendence would not be of long continuance, and 



cipi?neof thousands, after the battle of Lexington, rushed 



a of 

i dis- 
iline o 

t earm}? f rom t h e j r f arms to the scene of action. Many of 
the soldiers were indulged in the privilege of 
choosing their own officers, who too frequently 
proved unqualified to discharge their duties in a 
manner advantageous to the public service. 

53. After the unfortunate battle of Long Island, 
the militia deserted their colors by hundreds, and 
in some instances, whole regiments disbanded. 

prom These inconveniences proceeded, in some meas- 

what did r ' 

con S ve- in " ure ' f ] ' om tne inability of Congress to remunerate 
HifseT tne troops for their expenses and toil during the 
war, but the state of affairs became alarming, and 
threatened a dissolution of the army. 

54. At this critical moment, the energetic mind 
wash- of Washington strove earnestly to arrest this fear- 

"♦mgton , 

Sure ^ s P u "it °f disorganization. He plainly assured 
p,e""s ? Congress, that unless furnished with a permanent 
army, to remain with him until the termination of 
the war, he must despair of success. Hitherto they 
had been unwilling to incur the expense of a stand- 



Ciiap. I. 



STANDING ARMY. 



253 



ing force, but they now were aware of the absolute 
necessity of the case, and forth with resolved to raise 



What did 
they re- 



do; 



What 
bounty 
was eact 
man to 
receive' 



one of about 75,000 men, to serve for three years, soiveto 
or during the war. 

55. These troops were to be systematically ar- 
ranged ; and to encourage enlistments, each soldier 
was to receive a bounty of twenty dollars, besides 
his rations and wages, and one hundred acres of 
land if he served until the close of the war. The 
officers were to receive from tw T o to five hundred 
acres — in proportion to their rank. 

56. Some time must of necessity elapse before a 
better state of affairs could be brought about, and 
Washington endeavored to cheer the little band of 



How did 

wash- 
ill-found and disheartened soldiers, by the hope of cKrhw 

7 J men ? 



eventual success, when, in the enjoyment of a free 
government, they might enjoy the peaceful pleas- 
ures of home. Seeing around him a large and vic- 
torious army, eager to oppose him, he manoeuvred 
with great dexterity without risking a general en 
gagement. 

57. On the 16th of September the Americans whatad 
gained an advantage over the British, who had was 
sought to obtain possession of two roads, leading |ythe 
east, from which Washington received his supplies. cans5 
Major Leitch was mortally wounded at the head of 

his detachment, and the brave Col. Knowlton w T as Who 
killed. The Americans lost about fifty men, killed and sTmon* 

J ' the 

wounded, and the enemy more than one hundred. kllJedJ 

58. On the 28th of October, a detachment of our 
army under Gen. Lee, opposing a large force under what 
Gens. Clinton and De Heister, engaged in warm opoosed 

' o o Gen. Lee 

sk rmishes near White Plains and the river Bronx fi^f 6 



254 



REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 



Part II. 



1 TT8 Neither party could claim any advantage, and there 
was considerable loss on both sides. That of the 
with British, by their own accounts, was 350 killed, and 
access? 670 wounded and prisoners. As a great number 
of the American militia retired from the field in 
disorder, the proper return of their loss was not ex- 
actly ascertained. 

59. A great number of Hessians and Waldeckers 
fell into the hands of the Americans, and, contrary 

what to their expectations, received very kind treatment. 
Se n w»N ^ fte British, in order to increase their ferocity, had 
receive? led them to believe that if they were taken prison- 
ers, the Americans would most barbarously stick 
their bodies full of splinters and burn them to death 

60. 'As a strong reinforcement of British troops 
why did under Lord Percy arrived, Gen. Washington left 

Wash- . ' . 

Sunk 1 n ^ s unsa fe position on the night of the 30th, and 
retired retired to North Castle, about five miles distant, 
castie? He left here 7,500 men under Gen. Lee, and crossed 
why had ^ e ^ uc ^on New Jersey, and took post near 

|amson S p ort L ee ^ sit ua ted on the North river about ten 
For C ts d at miles from New York. Garrisons had been left 

Wash- 

anTZee? here anc ^ at W asnm gton, opposite to Fort Lee, 
in order to preserve the command of the Hudson. 
About 2,700 men, under Col. Magaw, were sta- 

Sm- tioned at Fort Washington. 

Tfmi 61. These were attacked on the 16th of Novem- 

Wash- 

ington? Derj by f our divisions of the enemy in different quar- 
!hfat be ters. The little band fought long and bravely, and 
wash- several times drove back the enemy with great 
ington? slaughter ; their ammunition was nearly exhausted ; 
were one outpost after another was forced in, and they 
JyfeW? refused the summons to surrender. But they 



Chap. I. 



RETREAT TO NEWARK. 



255 



found it useless to withstand combined attacks in so 
many directions, and yielded on honorable terms. 

62. The British sustained the loss of about What 
1.200 killed and wounded. The Americans lost K? ™ e 
about 400 killed or wounded, and the remain- sides? 
der of the garrison was captured. It is said that 
General Washington was so situated, that he 

• % CT 7 Hnw was 

could have a view of the attack, and when he § r e a n sh . 
saw his brave men bayoneted while begging for affected 
quarter, he wept, and exclaimed bitterly against cruel 

conduct? 

the savage deed. 

63. Fort Lee was soon afterward evacuated by 
Gen. Greene, in order to save the troops from Whatis 
being captured, but they lost their stores, tents and th/evL- 

. uation of 

baggage. Fort Lee' 

Gen. Washington's force was augmented by the 
garrison from Fort Lee ; but even then it only 

53 1 J What 

numbered 3,000 men, destitute of tents, blankets, *J£{j£ 
or even cooking utensils. With these troops he dition°of 
retreated to Newark with a steadfast heart and ington's 

army? 

serene countenance. 

64. Ever relying on God for support and direction, 
he moved calmly forward amid the darkest 0n 
storms, assured that even defeat in battle, insults di3 om 
of foes, or ingratitude and treachery in friends, would mgton 

' ° rely in a I] 

eventually work together for good to those whose his *- ,als1 
cause was blessed of God. Here we still behold 
Washington in this darkest hour in American 
history, firmly trusting in an overruling Provi- 
dence, calling on those around him to exercise the 
same faith, and cheering them in their toilsome 
marches. 

65. Darker and darker grew the cloud above 



256 



REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 



1TT6 them. Every day ushered in some unlooked-for 
What ig calamity. In their retreat through New Jersey, 
the situa they were exposed in an open country in mid- 
dreary winter, without tents to shelter their scantily clothed 

prospect ' i . 

° f my h , e forms — poorly fed, without instruments to intrench 
themselves, and in the midst of a population of 

SSof tories. Many of the soldiers, both militia and regu- 

diers do? lars, alarmed at the fearful prospect before them, 
deserted in bodies. 

whit 66. Still Washington pressed onward, while 



Wash exulting thousands of the enemy, well fed and con- 



route did 

Wash 
mgron 
tak 
his 



tale in fident, pursued. From Newark, Washington suc- 
treat? cessfully retreated to Brunswick, then to Princeton 
and Trenton, and finally across the Delaware with 
Howma- tne enem y often in sight. Here again a call was 
citizen? 6 made for reinforcements from New Jersey and 
deiphia Pennsylvania, and to the honor of the latter, 1,500 

respond- . . 

ttiubi 6 °f the citizens of Philadelphia came promptly to 
force- the aid of Washington. They cheerfully abandon* 
meiUb ' ed their comfortable fire-sides, and for the love they 
bore their country, were content to spend the 
nights in tents or barns, and oftentimes in the 
open air in mid- winter. 
eahfof 3 ^ was g eneran y agreed, that in this distres- 

Jg t s n" sing retreat through New Jersey and over the Dela- 
this'ri ware, under the most pressing difficulties, Wash- 
ington displayed the talents and wisdom of a great 
military commander, endowed with unfailing re- 
sources of mind. 

68. Gen. Howe, again availing himself of the 
procia- forlorn condition of the continentals, issued another 

mation ' 

Buld'by proclamation, couched in haughty style, demand- 
Howe? ing submission to the king's authority within sixty 



Chap. I. 



Washington's retreat. 



257 



days from the date of the paper. Two of the i??© 
members of the continental Congress, Mr. Gallo- How 
way and Mr. Allen, accepted pardon, and submit- demands 
ted to kingly rule — but the greater part of the obe}8d1 
American people rejected the offer, though told 
that the gallows would be the alternative. 

69. On the day that our army was driven over jy d he t ^ e 
the Delaware, the British, with a fleet and 600 of ggf 
the army, took possession of Rhode Island without sion se of 

. . - .... . Rhode 

any opposition, many of the inhabitants being island * 
friendly to the royal cause. 

Congress resolved, on the 12th of December, that What 
it be recommended to all the United States, as soon ^fved 
as possible, to appoint a day of fasting and humil- f^f*™* 
iation, imploring God to show favor to them in this of Dec -» 
time of affliction. 

70. They resolved also to retire for safety to Bal- why did 
timore, knowing it to be the intention of the enemy leave 
to possess themselves of the city of Philadelphia. pi»a? 
Washington, during his retreat, had ordered Gen. 

Lee to join him from White Plains with all possible Whator . 
speed, but Lee refused to move. Day after day Sen. Lei 
passed by, and still no reinforcements appeared. E ved 
At length he saw fit by slow T marches to put his ington? 
troops in motion, but on the route, as a just punish- 
ment for his disobedience, he was taken prisoner. 

71. For some unaccountable reason, he had taken Howwa3 
up his lodgings at a house three or four miles from his 

ished in 

troops in the heart of a disaffected and tory coun- dlence of 

1 ■'his coun- 

try. Information of this astonishing fact was soon maml? 

given, and a body of light-horse under Col. Har- Descn[ie) 

court surrounded the house, and made Gen. Lee 5" u " 

prisoner. Here was another untoward disaster nm' Li> 

17 



258 REVOLUTIONARY WAR. Part II. 

iTT6f° r tne Americans. The first major-general of 
their army hurried off as prisoner by a party of 
dragoons, without hat or cloak, to New York, 'n 
triumph. 

what 72. Many suspicions were aroused by this sin- 
proL- ffular event. Considering his protracted disobe- 

blythe °. . . f • • , , 

Eee'Tdiv dience m the moment 01 the most critical danger to 
oSf the army, and knowing the unbounded ambition 
of Gen. Lee, we have no doubt but he delayed, that 
Washington and his dispirited band might fall into 
the hands of the enemy, and the supreme command 
devolve on himself, 
what of 73. Gen. Lee was a man of great military ex- 
mlutery perience, had fought in European battles, and been 
ledge? a chosen friend and aid-de-camp of the king of 
Poland, and knew perfectly well what belonged to 
every subordinate officer, and that there could be 
no greater act of disobedience, than to refuse orders 
like those of Washington. We shall see in pur- 
suing our history, how the wicked are punished 
from their own actions, while the good are rewarded 
who ky walking in accordance with the laws of God. 
now took 74 G eiL Sullivan now took command of Gen. 

com- 

wsdhd f Lee's division, and hastened to join the main army, 
what did thus augmenting it to 7,000 effective men. With 
these, Gen. Washington resolved, with all the ener- 
SST °f ms mighty spirit, to make one fearful strug- 
wLh- g le - He dared not go into winter-quarters in the 
Ilk™ midst of such a season of gloom — almost of despair, 
^o At Trenton, on the other side of the icy waters of 

were sta- 
tioner 
on thi 

sid h e er of farther on, at different places, were several other 

the Dela- , . r 3 

ware? detachments. 



«n the tne Delaware, were stationed 1,500 Hessians ; while 



Chap. I. 



CROSSING THE DELAWARE. 



259 



75. Headley says, that the noble form of Wash- 
ington, on the night of the 25th of December, just What i3 
at dusk, stood on the shore of the Delaware. His wfsh f 
horse, saddled and bridled, was near him. while all Boo? 

7 ' ' beside 

around were heard the rumbling of artillery wagons> ^| r D . e la - 
and the confused sounds of marching men and 
hasty orders. The deep, sullen stream went swiftly 
by, and the angry heavens betokened a cold and 
stormy night. 

76. As he stood thus and watched, there stole Wh ydid 
over his majestic countenance a look of inexpressi- feelings 

J 1 steal ovef 

ble solemnity. Before the morning the fate of that him? 
gallant army would be fixed, and the next rising 
sun would shine down on his country lifted from 
its depth of despondency, or sunk still deeper in 
ruin. Events big with the fate of the army and 
the nation were crowding to their development, and 
his soul was absorbed in their contemplation. 

77. At length the boats were launched amid the Describe 

° the pas- 

floating ice, and were soon struggling in the centre driver 

of the stream. The night was dark and cold — the 

wind swept by in gusts, and amid the roar of the 

water and crashing of the ice were heard the loud 

words of command and shouts of the men. 

78. The boats, forced backward and forward by 
the icy fragments, became scattered in the gloom, and 
would have been thrown into confusion, but for the 
friend of Washington, Knox, who, standing on the 
farther shore, kept shouting through the darkness saw of 
with his stentorian voice, thus indicating the point 

for which they were to steer. There too stood Wash- Z\\te 
ington, hour after hour, with that strangely calm, mZtof 

° ' ' his mil)} 

} a ,t determined face, while his soul was racked with 



260 



REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 



Part It: 



1*7 76 anxiety as the night waned rapidly away, and his 
^ r distracted army still struggled in the midst of the 



they 
had 
crossed 



: ; icy stream. All night long did he stand there, on 



the ! river, the frozen shore, urging on his weary troops — -now 
did Sie looking anxiously at his watch, and now striving 
Siolis to pierce the gloom that covered the water, 
army 79. At length, at four o'clock in the morning, the 

take, and & ' & ' 

wSftheir columns got under way, and pressed rapidly for- 
fionT a " ward. Sullivan, with one column, took the road 
Dec. 26. beside the river, while Washington, with Greene, 
took a parallel road, intending to enter Trenton in 
Describe different points at the same time. It was still 
march, dark, and just then, as if in harmony with the 
scene, a storm of snow and hail arose, driving full 
in the soldiers' faces. Their clothes were soaked 
with wet, and the muskets, many of them, rendered 
unfit for use. Still, in reply to the fearful question, 
" What is to be done?" the disheartening intelli- 
gence was given, " Advance and charge /" 

80. Nearing the Hessian picket, Washington 
ordered the guns to be unlimbered, and the whole 

IScfof commn t° advance. Still riding in front, where 
Si ? tne fi rst volley must fall, his friends became alarm- 
ed for his safety, and again and again besought 
him to fall back to a place of greater security. But 
he rode sternly forward amid their guns, with the 
storm beating furiously on his noble brow, every 
lineament of his countenance revealing the unal- 
terable purpose of his soul. 

81. The thunder of cannon was now heard 
through the storm from Sullivan's division ; and 
Stark, with the advance guard, had already 
broken into the streets, and with a battle shout 



5 

Chap, l. BATTLE OF TRENTON. 261 

aroused the Hessians from their dream of security, 1T7 6 
The smoke of the artillery curled around the form Descri be 
of Washington, as, still beside them, he moved on t^° n ' 
and calmly pointed out the different objects on 
which the fire should be directed. 

82. All now was confusion — the clattering of 
flying horsemen sounded through the streets, offi- 
cers hurried to and fro to rally their men, and 
shouts and cries rung through the air in every 
direction. Just then, the enemy wheeled two can- 
non into the street up which the column of Wash 
ington was advancing. Young Monroe, afterward 
one of our presidents, and Capt. Washington, a re- 
lative of the commander-in-chief, immediately 
sprung forward with their men, charged up to the 
very muzzles, and took them, although the lighted 
matches were already descending on the pieces. 
When the smoke lifted, these two gallant officers 
were both seen reclining in the arms of their fol- 
lowers, wounded, though not mortally. 

83. The Americans pressed onward, bearing What 
down all opposition, until the enemy, confused and St h oi 
terrified, struck their flags. At a gallop Washing- tie 6 ? 
ton dashed forward, exclaiming to one of his offi- 
cers, £; This is a glorious day for our country /" 

Col. Rahl, the commanding officer, was mortally 
wounded, and seven other wounded officers were 
left on parole at Trenton. 

84. About 35 soldiers were killed, 60 wounded, 
and 948, including 30 officers, were taken prison- Wlmt 
ers, amounting in all to 1,048. Of our troops, not ||r 6 
more than 10 were killed and wounded. Gen. 
Washington recrossed the Delaware the same day 



262 



REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 



nie in triumph, bringing off six excellent brass cannon, 
1,200 small arms, three standards, and a quantity 
of baggage. This was a brilliant achievement, 
and was every where considered a master stroke m 
the art of war. 

what 85. The Hessian prisoners were allowed to retain 

was done A 

HeSian 16 tne i r baggage, and sent into Pennsylvania with 
errand strict orders from Washington, that they should be 
they^caii treated with kindness. This was unexpected to 
mgton? them and called forth emotions of gratitude and 

veneration for Washington, whom they called a 

" very good rebel? 
what 86. The British were astonished that an army, 

were the J 7 

of e thf which they considered as on the point of annihi- 
on hear- lation, should dare to attack them. They were 
battle? idly reposing, in the hope that one battle would 

forever crush the rebellion, as they termed our war. 

In their march through New Jersey, they had com- 
what niitted such outrageous ravages and indiscriminate 
hadlhey plunder, as must be deemed disgraceful to any peo- 
teTin 111 ' pie. Hundreds of inoffensive inhabitants were 

New Jer- . 

8<j y ? stripped of their clothing, and exposed, in the midst 
of horrid insults and indecencies, to the inclemency 
of the season. 

wSsh- did 87. The cries of the oppressed were heard, and 
deter- reinforcements of militia and troops enabled Wash- 

mine to . . ^_ . 

d °? ington again to cross the Delaware into New Jer- 
what se y> anc ^ f ace tfte enemy under Cornwallis, w T ho had 
a^ouSt been dispatched from New York with a large army 
English to retrieve the heavy disasters of Trenton. Wash- 
foSeiT ington had 4,700 men, only 1,200 of whom were 
regulars, while Cornwallis was at the head of 8,000 



Chap. I. 



POSITION OP THE ARMIES. 



263 



veteran troops, well supplied with dragoons and JLU2 
artillery. 

88. Detachments of the Americans were sent what or 

ders were 

forward to harass the march of Cornwallis, with ^ v a e sh by 
orders to dispute every inch of the ground. Bravely lngton? 
they obeyed their command, bearing up gallantly 
against the advancing host, until at sunset, the two 
armies, drawn up for battle, stood front to front, in 
terrific uproar from the cannon on both sides. 
Washington's situation was one of peril, with a su- Sf e S meet 
perior enemy in front, and the Delaware river in two ar- 

1 J ' mies. 

the rear. 

89. A successful attack on our army would Suie 
prove its ruin. But he relied on Providence, as he ofwS- 
told his troops before facing the enemy — " Main- and what 
tain every inch of your position till night, and trust t s ? y J? s hi9 
to Providence for the rest." When the gathering 
shades of evening deepened, Cornwallis, contrary to the kintf 
the repeated remonstrances of his officers, com- Provi- 

1 1 dence 

manded the attack to cease until daylight. Here shown? 
was shown the kind care of Providence in which the 
Commander-in-chief trusted. 

1777 

90. Forthwith Washington began to extricate ^™ h did 
himself from this perilous situation, and here again eSate 
we see the skill and address of a great general. In & s hfs 

1-11 i - /» perilous 

the evening he ordered a number of blazing fires gtua- 
to be kindled in his camp, leaving men to keep them j an . 3. 
burning, and to work on the intrenchments to de- 1 
ceive his antagonist. 

91. Rousing his weary men, he bade themJ^ ator ' 
silently move on by a circuitous route. The Jven, 
weather was very cold, and the night dark, but were 
they cheerfully followed their general, without noise obeyed? 



264 



REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 



7 77 or interruption of any kind, until 9 o'clock the next 
morning, when they attacked and routed three 
regiments of the British stationed at Princeton. 
The enemy lost about 500 men, by this well-timed 



What 
was the 
loss of 

ish? manoeuvre. Our loss was small numerically, but a 
beloved and gallant form lay prostrate in death, 
over whom many tears were shed, 
what is 92. Brigadier -general Mercer, finding himself in 
oin. of the hands of the enemy, submitted, but they, deaf 
to the cry for quarter, fell upon him with worse than 
savage cruelty. Not satisfied in their murderous 
thirst for blood, by stabbing him again and again 
with their bayonets, they disfigured his face with 
the butt-end of a musket in a most horrible manner. 

93. Washington, during the heat of the battle, 
seized a flag from a standard-bearer, and pushed 
forward in front, about thirty yards from both ar- 
mies, regardless of danger, encouraging his troops 
to make a bold stand. 

94. While the battle was raging at Princeton, 
S ara " tne British w T ere under arms preparing to subdue 
Britfsh 16 the Americans at Trenton. Little did they dream 

' 7 that their camp was evacuated, and baggage, artil- 
lery, and stores entirely beyond their reach. Corn 
wallis could scarcely believe the fact, and walking 
out to survey the grounds, was arrested by a heavy 
sound which, for an instant, he supposed to be thun- 
der. But it was a clear bright morning in Janu- 
ary, and the next time the fearful sound broke over 
his camp, he knew that it was caused by Washing- 
ton's cannon. 

95. Lord Cornwallis was ashamed of his vain 
boasts, when he found himself outgeneraled by 



What of 
Wash- 
ington? 



What 



What is 
said of 
their sur- 
prise at 
our at- 
tack ? 



What is 
siiid of 
Cornwal- 
lis, and 
what 
move- 
ment 
t)id lie 
make 1 



Chap. I. COMMISSIONERS TO FRANCE. 265 

troops he scorned. Astonished at these bold move- itj? 
ments, he instantly fell back with liis whole force, 
and abandoned every post he held southward of 
New York, except Brunswick and Amboy. The ex- 
asperated inhabitants of New Jersey ever afterward thepeo- 

r J pie of 

remembered their sufferings and insults, and rose ^ewJei 
to arms in bodies to repel so remorseless an enemy. 

96. Washington had gained his point — his men Sh- of 
were cheered, and on every side he was hailed as and his 

J > men ? 

the one raised by God for the salvation of his coun- 
try. He could now, with safety, retire for the win- 
ter. He took up his quarters at Morristown, where 
his army were nearly all inoculated with small- 
pox, which disease had proved fatal in some cases. 
Congress, fully sensible of the high military char- JJJj^ 
acter of Washington, conferred on him more ample ^nilr- 
powers, investing him with full authority to reform was°h- 
and new model the army, as he judged proper. 

97. Aware of the importance of inducing the ^ r e h r ° 
French to espouse the American cause, and relying France 
on the enmity of h ranee against Great Britain, ™^ sion - 
they appointed as commissioners to the court of 
France, Benjamin Franklin, Silas Deane, and 
Arthur Lee. They were instructed to procure 52?un 
arms and ammunition, to obtain permission to fit 

l-l r T-i 10(103 

out American vessels in the ports of France, to 
annoy the commerce of England. They direct- 
id them to solicit a loan of 10,000,000 francs, and 
,o endeavor, by. every means in their power, topre- 
/ail on the French Government to recognize the 
ndependence of the United States. The campaign 
was not ended until carried into the first mcnth of 
the next year. 



266 REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 



CHAPTER II. 



Part li. 



CAMPAIGN OF 1777. 

What ig 1. Gen. Washington showed himself, in all pointy 
G^. of worthy the confidence reposed in him, by his ener- 
tagton'a getic measures to enlarge the army and encourage 

attention ° & J & 

Offering tne dispirited. Though his noble heart ached for 
soldiers? ^ p r ivations of his soldiers, he pressed onward, 
every where meeting them with words of kindness, 
oftentimes emptying his own purse to relieve their 
sufferings. Day after day he followed the tracks 
of their bleeding feet on the frozen ground, entered 
their huts, praised their constancy, visited the sick, 
and fervently besought the God of nations to es- 
pouse their cause. Morning after morning, with 
the same serene countenance, he was seen engaged 
in works of mercy to the suffering. 
St- 2. Gen. Lee, whose capture has been noticed, 
Gen. Lee w as kept in close confinement in the Provost prison, 

receive? r 17 

in New York, and received the most rigid and un- 
generous treatment. Gen. "Washington opened a 
correspondence with Gen. Howe, and made propo- 
sals for his exchange, which were rejected. But 

Howisit ^ i i ' • • i rr 

edm c aii Gen. Lee was not the only imprisoned sufferer. 
tha"prfs- 3. From every part of the country arose the 
wa e r rsof voice of lamentation. In all armies prisoners of 
oe treat- war have a just claim on the humane; from the 
moment of their captivity it is expected that hos- 



CRUELTIES OF THE BRITISH. 



267 



tilities toward them cease. Being disarmed, no it?? 
arm can justly be raised against them ; and while 
they conduct in a manner becoming their captivity 
they should be treated with lenity. Among savage 
tribes, captives are tortured ; but to the shame of 
the English it can be said, that treatment such as 
our prisoners received during the revolution, has 
scarcely been known in the annals of war. )P?, tdid 

J the Eng- 

4. It would seem that the ties of countrymen to Sh f % e ™ 
were disregarded, and men speaking the same lan- cin£ 
guage, and acknowledging the same God, exhaust- ° n ers? 
ed every means of cruelty to torture those whom 
they spurned as rebels. The following, taken from 
Gen. Washington's letter of complaint to Gen. 
Howe, is a brief summary of the systematic method Repeat 
adopted and practised for their destruction. " The £?ct x ~ 
prisoners were crowded into the holds of prison- wash- 

1 1 ington's 

ships, where they were almost suffocated for want ,etter - 
of air, and into churches, and open sugar-houses, 
&c, without a spark of fire. Their allowance of 
provisions and water for three days was insufficient 
for one, and in some instances they were four days 
entirely destitute of food. The pork and bread, 
for they had no other sustenance, and even the 
water allowed them, were of the worst quality, and 
totally unfit for human beings." 

5. He adds that a minute detail would only 
serve to harrow up the feelings of surviving friends ; 
suffice it to say, that in consequence of the most 
barbarous treatment, not less than 1500 American 

oldiers died within a few weeks. Thus perished, 
m the utmost wretchedness, brave young men, the 
pricta and shield of their country, and the beloved 



268 



REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 



Part II. 



ittt of many a devoted parent. After death had re- 
leased the sufferers, their bodies were dragged out 
what be of the prisons, and piled up till enough were col- 
th?h° lected for a load, when they were carted out and 

dead m ' J 

bodies? tumbled into a ditch, and slightly covered with 
earth. 

What 6. Prisoners were, in addition to this, constantly in- 

KS" suited and tantalized by the British officers, who told 

Serf Lid them with the most frightful profanity, that the treat- 
prison- ° 1 . 

ers? ment was too good for rebels, and they should get 
twice as much severity unless they returned to his 
Majesty's service. But they loved liberty, and chose 
death rather than subject themselves and their pos- 
terity to a tyrant's sway, 
what in- 7. In one instance, four of our wounded officers, 
waaof- of respectable rank, were put in a cart, and convey- 
wmiaras e d through the streets of New York, as objects of 
era d ? oth * derision — reviled as rebels, and treated with the 
utmost contempt. Otho Williams, subsequently 
adjutant-general to the Southern army, and others, 
were seated on coffins, with ropes around their 
necks, as a farce to make them believe they were 
riding to the gallows. 
Repeat 8. To the foregoing unparalleled catalogue of crim- 
extract. inal proceedings, we add others, taken from another 
writer. "The enemy wantonly destroyed the New 
York water works, an elegant public library at 
Trenton, and the grand orrery made by Rittejn- 
house, which was placed in the college at Prince- 
ton, a piece of mechanism that the most untu- 
tored savage, staying the hand of violence, would 
have beheld with wonder and delight. Thus they 
warred against liberty, virtue, and the arts and 

i 



Chap. II. 



BRITISH CRUELTIES. 



2G9 



sciences. To make war against learning and lite- %m 
rature is only fit for the rudest savage." 

9. Gov. Livingston, in an elegant speech to the SS? 
General Assembly of New Jersey, said, " They say on^ 
have plundered friends and foes ; effects capable J ect? 
of division they have divided ; such as were not 
they have destroyed ; they have warred on de- 
crepid old age and on defenseless youth ; they have 
committed hostilities against the professors of lite- 
rature and the ministers of religion ; against pub- 
lic records and private monuments ; books of im- 
provement and papers of curiosity ; and against the 

arts and sciences. They have butchered the 
wounded while asking for quarter, mangled the 
dead, weltering in their blood, and refused them the 
rites of sepulture ; suffered prisoners to perish for 
want of sustenance ; insulted the persons of fe- 
males ; disfigured private dwellings of taste and 
elegance, and in the rage of impiety and barba- 
rism, profaned edifices dedicated to Almighty God." 

10. We do not wonder that the Americans re- 
fused to return to allegiance to a power allowing 
such treatment. We involuntarily shudder as we ou? emo- 

tions in 

read their sufferings, and ask if all this was re- £{f^?f 
ceived from people, from whom we derived our ori- f^f 1 ' 
gin ? Reconciliation to such a power ! A more 
dreadful curse could scarcely be denounced ! how 

^ > were 

It is here worthy of observation, that the British ^i s ° n n ou , 
?\nd Hessian prisoners in our hands were treated in treated? 
a manner directly the reverse of that just described, JJ® 1 ^ 
and they never found cause to complain. SLfof 

11. The first atten pts of the British during the Xd? 11 

1 ° recited 

campaign of 1777, were against the American in 1777 1 



270 



REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 



Part II. 



1.TTT stores collected at Courtland Manor in New York, 

and at Danbury in Connecticut. 
Wh at On the 25th of April, 2,000 men under Gov. 
Sdfd Tryon, major of the Provincials or Tories,, having 

Governor - ' ° 

troop" 8 P as sed the sound, landed between Fairfield and 
commit? N orfolk> The next dayj proceeding to Danbury 
they forced the garrison to retire, destroyed 1,80C 
barrels of beef and pork, and 800 of flour, 2,000 
bushels of grain, clothing for a regiment, and 1,790 
tents. Besides this wanton destruction of food and 
clothing, they burned the town, and after murder- 
ing three inhabitants, threw them into the flames. 

What . 

was done 12. Generals Sullivan, Wooster, and Arnold, 

by Gene- ' 7 1 

SSaSd" happening to be in the neighborhood, hastily col- 

wooster* i ecte( j aD0U t 600 militia, and marched in pursuit 
for two miles, in a heavy rain. On the morning of 
the 27th, they divided the troops, Gen. Wooster 
taking about three hundred, and falling in the rear 
of the enemy, while Arnold took post in front at 
Ridgefield. Both parties conducted with distin- 

wSnled guished bravery, but were obliged to retreat. Gen. 

toiSat? Wooster was in his 70th year, and was mortally 
wounded. 

what is 13. The next day the enemy set fire to Ridgefield, 
ndd's anc ^ were still harassed by Arnold, who fought, 
conduct? accustomed bravery, almost amounting to 

recklessness. In the thickest of the fire, he was 
always to be seen galloping hither and thither, 
seemingly impervious to bullets, although his brave 
charger often sunk, being shot under him. Noth- 
what mg daunted in such cases, he would mount an- 
L a foS e other and on to the battle. The British de- 
s b ide h s? spaired of gaining any of the inhabitants to Uieir 



Chap. II. GENERAL LAFAYETTE. 271 

ranks, and being annoyed by Arnold, took refuge 
on board their ships. They had lost 170 men, and 
the Americans 100. 

14. Congress resolved that a monument should ^re- 
be erected to the memory of Gen. Wooster. and a c°dn edby 

gress? 

beautiful horse properly caparisoned, was presented 
to Gen. Arnold, as a reward for his gallantry on this 
occasion. 4 

The British had collected at Sag Harbor, on JJKom 
Long Island, immense magazines of forage and hmSoti 
grain. Col. Meigs, who had been one of Arnold's 
brave associates in the expedition to Canada, with 
130 men on the 23d of May, destroyed the stores, 
burned a dozen brigs and sloops, killed 6 of the 
enemy, took 90 prisoners, and returned in triumph, 
not having lost a man. 

15. While these and similar events had been Wn ydid 
transpiring in America, the commissioners who S°ua 
had been sent to France, to procure assistance, inwar? 
were not idle. Fi ance wished us success, because 

it would avenge her for the loss of her colonies in 
this country, and humble the haughty bearing of What 
her rival in the New World. Amid conflicting rreich- 

, , . man es- 

emotions in many hearts, there was at least one poused 

' our cause 

brave and noble soul, who espoused our cause from jj^jj?* 8 
love for liberty. This was the young and gallant erty? 
Lafayette. 

16. He listened with enthusiasm to the story of 
our wrongs and oppressions, and forthwith ex- 
claimed, " My heart espouses warmly the cause of 
liberty, and henceforth I shall think of nothing, Laj^ 
but of adding my aid. The moment I heard of |^ A ? mer * 
America I loved her ; the moment I knew she was 



272 REVOLUTIONARY WAR. Part IL 

fighting for freedom. I burned with a desire of 
bleeding for her ; and the moment I shall be able to 
serve her in any part of the world, will be the ha p- 
piest one in my life." 
what ex- 17. He obtained an introduction to Silas Deane, 

ertions > ' 

make e in wno g^dty gave him a letter to Congress, requesting 
Stusl his appointment as major-general in the American 
* army. A vessel was ordered to be fitted out, but the 
sad news of one defeat after another seemed to ren- 
der our cause hopeless. It was no longer possible to 
obtain a vessel. The difficulty only urged on the 
lover of freedom, and immediately he purchased a 
vessel which he intended fitting out with his own 
means, when the king, hearing of his plans, ordered 
him back, while his friends were loud in their cen- 
sures of the interest he took in our cause. 
with 18. Finally, he disguised himself as a courier, 
ScLs an d escaped to his vessel, in which, accompa- 
ny nied by the Baron de Kalb and eleven other officers, 

meet, J ' 

i ? s n said h of ne set sa ^ m sa fety- After a voyage of about fifty 
loyagei days, he reached Georgetown, in South Carolina, 
and having visited Charleston, and listened with 
tice did delight to the story of Fort Moultrie, he presented 
Moultrie tne Drave Moultrie with clothing and arms for 150 
men?' 8 men, and repaired in haste to Philadelphia, travel- 
ing a weary route of 900 miles on horseback. 
Howwas 19. Here he presented his letters to Congress, 
celvedby They looked at him, as he stood before them only 
Sss? 19 years of age, and little dreamed of the value of 
wh t the friend raised by God in our behalf. They 
rotedid looked upon him as a mere boy, and received him 
c r on. sto coldly — but he was not to be offended, and addres- 
Eress sed a note to Congress, saying. "After the sacrifices 



Cliap. II. MOVEMENTS OF THE ARMIES. 273 

[ have made, I have the right to exact two favor!; 1777 
ont is to serve at my own expense — the other is to 
serve at first as a volunteer." Congress was 
moved by this magnanimity, and made out his com- 
mission. From the moment of his introduction to £x y wa< 
Washington, their friendship commenced, and in cSedVy 
the whole course of our history, there is nothing Son? 
more touching than the love which these men bore 
to each other. 

20. Near the end of May, the American army, what 

J ' -> > move- 

n umbering about 18,000 men, moved from its win- SdUoUi 
ter-quarters at Morristown, and took post at Middle- makeln 
brook ; on which the British left their encamp- spring* 
ment, and Gen. Howe endeavored to induce Gen. 
Washington to meet him on equal ground. But 
Washington chose to continue his defensive sys- 
tem of warfare, and not to risk an open battle. 
Finding various feints and attempts ineffectual, he 
ordered a precipitate retreat to Staten Island. He 

r r • . Whatdid 

then embarked 16,000 troops, and leaving Sir 
Henry Clinton in command at New York, put to SUSd 
sea, carefully keeping his destination a secret. On why? 
the 20th of August, the fleet entered Chesapeake 
bay, intending an attack on Philadelphia. 

21. The American army immediately crossed what 

J J was the 

the Delaware, and directed its march toward the 

enemy's route. The people were impatient at ™oih-l? 

what they considered indecisive movements, and How 

delays, and demanded a general engagement for people 1 " 

the defense of Philadelphia. Washington yielding- with 6 
1 & j & these 

to their ■ wishes, with Generals Greene, Sullivan, SJdwSSi 
Wayne, and Stirling, took position on the eastern demand 
bank of Brandywine creek, to dispute the passage w e *J° thjt 

lg Ameri- 



274 



REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 



Part II. 



1TTT <$ the British, who were advancing in splendid 

can Gen- ai'l'ay. 

what an 22. These, under Cornwallis and Knyphausen 

position 

flkeT y numbered 18,000 well drilled troops, and it seemed 
who hazardous to risk such an unequal engagement. 
theBrlt- ^ ^ ast ' W asnm g ton relinquished his own superior 
Sops? judgment, by risking a disadvantageous action. 

He, however, with acknowledged skill, planned the 
W n h g a e t ar " order of battle, and stationed regiments at differ- 

ment did 

Son" ent i oro - s to guard the river, sending scouts out in 
make? var i ous directions, on a strict watch for the ap- 
proach of the troops. Gen. Sullivan commanded 
the highest and most important post up the river. 
Had he used all the precaution demanded of him, 
he might have saved much disorder and loss of life. 

23. On the 11th of September, the British army 
moved forward in two columns, intending with one 
to occupy the attention of Washington, while the 

what other should silently march round and attack the 

false in- 

telli - rear. Washington was prevented from executing 

gence or o 

^n as and a bold design of dividing the British army, and 
£t a was cutting off Knyphausen's regiment, by false intelli- 
ced? gence from Sullivan, that Cornwallis was not ap- 
proaching. By this, much time was lost in coun- 
termanding orders, and Cornwallis fell upon the 
Americans, when they were in some measure un- 
prepared to receive him. 

24. A destructive action ensued, in which Sul- 
livan and his troops, in connection with all engaged 

what is fought with great bravery. Lafayette seeing two 
Laiy- f of Gen. Sullivan's aids killed, and the discomfited, 

ette's 

conduct general in vain trying to rally his shattered troops, 
the bat- i ea p e d from his horse and marched among them 



Cliap. II. 



BATTLE OF BRANDYWINE. 



275 



sword in hand, when he too fell wounded by a 1777 
musket ball. Washington then came up with Whatig 
Greene's corps as a reserve. Thev fought bravely, thftel 
for a while keeping tne British in cneck — but nothing of the' 
could now arrest the disorder, and they retreated 
after having contested the ground in the most 
determined manner. 

25. The American loss in killed, wounded, and what 
prisoners, was over 1,000 ; the British about half 
that number. Side by side with the Americans, sides? 
were Lafayette, the Baron St. Ovary a brother Wh a t 
Frenchman who was made prisoner, and the brave pished 
Count Pulaski, who was afterward rewarded with jj™^" 
the rank of brigadier-general. jj^Jjf, 

26. The Americans retreated through Philadel- to what 
phia to Germantown, but Washington, notwith- tie Ce dld 

* Ameri- 

standing the unfortunate event of the battle of £ r a e n a s t 5 e 
Brandywine creek, determined to risk another at- 
tempt for the defense of the capital. He according- What 
ly repassed the Schuylkill, and met the enemy near pent" 
Goshen, about 18 miles west of Philadelphia. But Wa t s o h n - 
a violent shower of rain compelled them to defer with and 
the engagement. Gen. Wayne had been detached success? 
with 1,500 men to annoy the rear of the enemy, but in whatu 
the darkness of the night, his men were surprised, w™™ 
and about 300 killed. SS£ 

27. Congress, deeming themselves insecure in 

7 m Why did 

Philadelphia, removed the public archives and mag- 2d!S' 
azines to Lancaster, to which place they ad- SS 1 ? 
journed. An easy access to'Philadelphia was now 
given to the enemy, and on the 26th of September, 
they made a triumphal entry into the city without j™^" 
opposition. The main body of the British was sta- SSyi 



276 



REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 



Part II. 



two ar 
mies en- 
camped ? 



1TTT tioned at Germantown, which is distant about 7 
we^tho miles north-west from Philadelphia. Washington 
encamped at 18 miles distance from Germantown. 
Immediately after the occupation of the capital, 
Howe e jji- Gen. Howe directed his attention to the reduction 
attend 8 of some forts on the river Delaware, which forts 
11011 ? rendered it unsafe for the British to navigate that 
river. 

tifica- for " ^* ^ ne Americans hoped to prevent the enemy 
erected from receiving supplies of provisions by. water, and 
island? for this purpose had erected batteries at Mud Island, 
Red Bank, and Billing's Port, and had sunk 
ranges of frames in the river to obstruct the navi- 

Why was _° 

Uni'dK- gation. It was to remove these impediments, that 
Col. Stirling was sent with a detachment of the 
royal army. Washington seized this opportunity 
to attack the remainder of the army at Germantown. 
said of 29. This enterprise planned with great judgment 
German P 1 * 01 * 1 * 8 ^ success. On the morning of October 4th 
town? the enemy was surprised, and at one point a party 
was routed and 110 made prisoners, but they were 
afterward retaken. Nearly the whole force of the 
what two armies was involved in the contest, in which 

was said ' 

wa?h- n " both fought bravely. Gen.. Washington, in a letter 
afeueY" to Congress, says, " The morning was extremely 
greas? foggy, which prevented our improving the advan- 
tage we had gained as well as we otherwise should 
have done. This circumstance by concealing from, 
us the true situation of the enemy, obliged us tc 
act with more caution and less expedition than wa 
could have wished, and hindered our different par- 
ties from acting in concert." 

30. In the midst of the most promising appear- 



BATTLE OF GERM ANT OWN. 



277 



ances of victory, the troops suddenly began to 1777 
retreat in spite of every effort made to rally them. What 
The enemy were broken, dispersed and flying in {0^*0* 
all quarters, and we were in possession of their ^j^* 1 
whole encampment, artillery, &c, but confusion at town? 
last ensued, and we were repulsed with a loss of 200 
killed, 600 wounded, and 400 prisoners." The Brit- 
ish lost about 100 killed and 500 wounded. Gen. 
Knyphausen was wounded, and Gen. De Heister's 
son and several other officers of rank were wounded 
or slain. 

31. Washington was mortified at the repulse at w e h r f th0 
Germantown, after an auspicious commencement, ff e S- 
which indicated a speedy victory. Congress ex- ° n re" 

pressed their approval of his plan of attack, and what 

* • 1 • 1 r 1 r c 1 did con- 

spoke m high terms 01 the courage of most of the eress ex- 

r o & press? 

troops. The British, after this action, removed to to what 

. r place did 

Philadelphia, and Washington encamped about En- 
eleven miles from Germantown. f*™' 

32. After considerable skirmishing and a pro- |$ e ™ 
tracted defense of the forts on the Delaware, the in ? ton , 

' encamp! 

river was at last cleared, and a free communication what 

t . ' finally 

opened for the British between New York and Jjg£ on 

the Dela- 



What 



Philadelphia. The enemy flattered themselves that 
the possession of Philadelphia would soon prove did the 

enemy 
flatter 

disheartened. Notwithstanding they had gained selves? 
little by the last battles, so much skill and bravery ISe noi 

J ^ tbeAme- 



had been shown that their reputation was en- §^ na rt 
hanced. tk\ 
33. In the mean while Washington's army had ^ h ? af 
received reinforcements from the North, and S 
amounted to 12,000 continentals and 300 militia. Wash- 



ington 



278 



REVOLUTIONARY "WAR. 



Part II. 



mi With these, he advanced to White Marsh, within 
receive, 14 miles of the capital. Gen. Howe marched 
position within three miles, but finding Washington too 
u^ar- prudent to leave his strong position, he thought 
take up? proper to withdraw, and retire for the winter to 
Philadelphia. 

where 34 Washington now gave orders that prepara- 
tion tions should be made for winter-quarters, and York, 

deter- 1 7 

mine to Lancaster and Carlisle were named as proper 

go into r 1 

qu'aXs? places. But rather than leave a large and fertile 
region exposed to the enemy, he chose to march to 
Valley Forge, a deep dale, about 20 miles north- 
west of Philadelphia. Accordingly, on the 11th 
of December, he left White Marsh, and retired to 
Valley Forge. In this dreary place they passed one 
of the most rigorous winters ever experienced in 
the United States, 
said of 35. The troops, scantily clothed, prepared to 
ferine of meet the rigor of that winter by erecting" a 

the army & J & 

place 1 ? number of log huts, filled in with mortar. The 
weather was so intensely cold, that before these 
barracks were completed, many a soldier was 
frozen to death. So destitute of necessary cloth- 
ing were they, that the greater part were with- 
out a shirt — some with a remnant of a blanket, 
and many without a shoe or stocking. In the 
midst of sufferings to which the world can scarce- 
ly show a parallel, they were seldom heard to 

why did murmur. Relying on the justice of their cause. 

murmur? they pressed forward, crying, " We are fighting for 
Liberty — let us have freedom from oppression for 
ourselves and our children !" 

36. While these events were transpiring in the 



Chap. II. 



EVACUATION OF CANADA. 



279 



Middle States, scenes of thrilling interest were en- 1777 
acted in the North. To retain, as far as possible, a Whyhas 
coDnected view of the war, we have chosen to leave northern 
our northern army unmentioned till this period. J*»n 
The young reader will, we trust, endeavor to go back tloned? 
in the order of time to the year 1775, and recall the 
situation of both armies at that period. To pre- Wha tis 
sent the events of 177", we will merely state, in review 1 ? 
review, that in the autumn of 1775, after Colonels 
Allen and Arnold had taken Ticonderoga and 
Crown Point by surprise, Gen. Montgomery re- 
duced the fort of St. Johns, captured Montreal, 
and made an ineffectual, though desperate attack 
on Quebec. 

37. On the return of spring, 1776, the American onthe 
army gradually retired up the St. Lawrence, and ^ a of 
after losing one post after another, in June they JJJJfc m 
entirely evacuated Canada. These reverses did Sy?"" 
not at all dampen the ardor of the troops in this 
quarter, and preparations were busily made to meet 

an expected invasion from the enemy in the spring 
of 1777. A plan was concerted by which Bur- What 
goyne, who had superseded Carleton in the com- adopted 1 ' 
mand of the British forces in Canada, was to pene- goyne'to 

' r cut off 

trate the back settlements of New York, and form Sk^; 
a junction with Gen. Howe at the metropolis, thus 
cuttinsr off all communication between New Eng - - die mi 

. . & States? 

land and the middle States, after which, they sup- 
posed both sections could easily be subdued. 

38. By express orders of the ministry, Burgoyne whose 
immediately armed and secured the services of bi»- 

* . m goyne se 

several tribes of Indians inhabiting the country be- cure1 
tween the Mohawk river and Lake Ontario, about 



280 



REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 



F«rt 11 



What 
procla- 
mation 
did Bur 
goyne 
issue? 



ittt 2,500 French Canadians, and as many Hessians 
What exclusive of a corps of artillery and a large body 
he 1C ma d ke of veteran troops from England. With this formi- 
at t"IS ^able arm y, on tne fi rst °f J u ^y? ne m ade prepara- 
tions to invest Ticonderoga. 

39. Before proceeding to the attack, Burgoyne 
made a great war feast for the Indians, and issued 
a most extraordinary proclamation, calling on the 
Americans to submit, or suffer the consequences of 
savage ferocity. After enumerating a string of 
titles in the most pompous manner, he threatens all 
who shall oppose his authority, saying, " I have 
but to give stretch to the Indian forces under my 
direction, and they amount to thousands, to over 
take the hardened enemies of Great Britain and 
what America." The British ministry, neither ashamed 
fiKxpe* nor satisfied with the disgraceful expedient of hir- 

dients . . . . . 

BHtish 6 ni £ Hessian soldiers of low principles, resorted also 
for°r r ein- to savages to aid in the subjection of a band of 
menVs? " half-starved and distressed rebels" — their own 
kinsmen. 

what 40. Gen. St. Clair with about 3,000 men, had 

move- ' ' 

g| n J t charge of Fort Ticonderoga. Deeming this force 
make, inadeqate to maintain the post, not having provis- 
ions for more than twenty days, he perceived no 
safety for the garrison, except in a hasty flight. 
Accordingly he let his camp-fires go out, struck his 
tents, and amid the " profound silence of the forest 
and the night," retreated. 

41. He was soon discovered and as they ap- 
proached Skeensborough, the British pressed on in 
hot pursuit. After various conflicts and losses, 
the remnants of the divisions reached Fort Ed- 



J.ily 5. 



What is 

Kid Of 



Cliap. II. 



burgoyne's movements. 



281 



ward, the head -quarters of Gen. Schuyler. In ? 
these combats, our men fought with desperate valor, 
and hundreds were left dead on the route. Stern 
necessity compelled this retreat. 

42. Burgoyne had with him some of the best V vhat 
officers then in America ; Major-general Philips, w^re ra 
Brigadier-general Frazer, Major-general Reidesel, ®™ ne1 
and others. From such generals and their hosts, 
Gen. Schuyler thought it prudent to retire along 

the Hudson to Saratoga. He, however, did every S at 
thing in his power to obstruct the progress of the schuyier 
British. He felled trees across the roads, destroyed j^* 1 *^ 
the bridges, and in various ways greatly retarded Bur- noy 
their march. Burgoyne in pursuit, was obliged goyne 
to construct forty bridges, and his batteaux were 
dragged from creek to creek by oxen. Schuyler's 
army was enlarged by some militia under Gen. what 
Lincoln, and several detachments from the regular ^ r e c h e t ; 
army accompanied by the Polish Gen. Thaddeus schuyier 
Kosciusko. His army was thus augmented to receive ' 
about 15,000 men. 

43. Burgoyne finding his supply of provisions 
greatly reduced, and being in want of horses to ^ s w g 
mount his cavalry, formed a plan to draw resources flatly i« 
from the honest farmers of Vermont. For this needl 
purpose he dispatched Col. Baum, a distinguished 
German officer, with 500 Hessians to seize some of 

the American stores of corn, cattle, &c, collected at 
Bennington. The instructions of Burgoyne are 
very curious, showing that the event of defeat 
never entered his mind. 

44. Col. Baum marched off with a commission in 
his pocket, to " scour the country for horses, cur- 



282 REVOLUTIONARY WAR. Part I1# 

mi mages, and cattle, and make prisoners of all offi- 
cers, civil and military, acting under Congress ; to 
were 3 tax the towns for whatever they wanted, and take 
Balm? hostages for the performance ; to bring all horses 
fit to mount the dragoons, with as many saddles 
and bridles as could be found ; to bring at least 
1,300, the horses to be tied in strings of ten each in 
order, that one man may lead ten horses." 
What 45. It was a providential circumstance, that 
Sai Gen. Stark* was on his way to join Gen. Schuyler, 
with a reinforcement of 800 Green Mountain boys. 
A heavy rain coming on, prevented an immedi- 
ate action ; several skirmishes took place with little 
loss on our side, but these were sufficient to alarm 
why did Q L Baum, who immediately dispatched a messen- 
ger to Burgoyne for a reinforcement. Fortunately 
its progress was much delayed, owing to the state 
goync? f the roads, after the heavy rain, and it did not ar- 



circum- 

stance 

occurred? 



Baum 
dispatch 
a mes- 
senger to 



* Gen. Stark had been in the old French and Indian war, and was 
at Bunker Hill and Trenton. At the brilliant charge at Bennington, 
he animated his brave band by shouting, with uplifted sword, " My 
fellow-soldiers, we conquer to-day or Mary Stark sleeps a widow 
to-night." His character as a private citizen is unblemished, and 
no neglect or wrong could turn him from the path of duty. 
Although he had reason to feel aggrieved at the treatment he 
received from Congress, in having inferior and junior officers 
appointed over him, he loved his country still, and fitted out his 
sons one after another for the field. Would that Arnold had 
possessed the virtues of this noble and incorruptible patriot. 
Amid all his perils through two long wars, and in many desper- 
ate battles, he never received a wound. He was the last sur- 
viving general of the Revolution, and died in 1822, at Man- 
chester, New Hampshire, in his 94th year. A simple stone 
upon which is inscribed Major-general Stark, marks the soldier's 
resting place — t u his memory is fresh in many hearts. 



Chap. II. 



BATTLE OP BENNINGTON 



283 



rive until the Americans were victorious. A fu- 
rious battle was fought for more than two hours. What u 
during which the Americans opposed, with singu- Sac-' 
lar bravery, a force nearly twice their number. 

46. Although the British were defended by breast- what is 

° J farther 

works, they were stormed by the Americans, and ^ d a <£ 
the troops finally obliged to surrender at discretion. tloI1? 
The yells of the Indians when surrounded were ter- 
rific. The roar of the fire-arms resembled a prolonged 
thunder peal. Gen. Stark's troops had scattered in 
pursuit of plunder, when news arrived of the ap- 
proach of the reinforcement of 1,000 men. 

47. At this critical moment, a regiment under what 

Col. Warner arrived ; the other troops rallied, and ewntot 

the whole were ordered to advance. They fought ti h e e ? bat ' 

until darkness came on, when the enemy yielded a 

second time in one day to their Yankee conquerors. 

The whole number of killed, wounded, and prison- what 

ers, was 934. Col. Baum received a mortal wound loss l Jf 

of which he soon after died. Instead of bringing, tish? 

in pursuance to the orders of Burgoyne, a train of 

r b j 3 Did Bur- 

necessary things, on their return, the troops were fef™^ 

obliged to leave behind 1,000 stand of arms, 8 loads tuSSi 

of baggage, 4 brass field-pieces, and several horses, what 

The loss on our side was not more than 100. loss? 

48. The victory at Bennington greatly encour- 
aged the Americans, but as greatly mortified Bur- 
goyne. An affecting incident occurred on the field fSnt 
at Bennington, which illustrates a point in the at Ben- d 

1 • i »ii f nington v > 

American character. An old man, whose five sons 
were engaged in the battle, was told that he had 
been unfortunate in one of his sons. With up- 
raised hands and trembling voice, he exclaimed, 



284 REVOLUTION A.R^t WAR. 



Part II; 



17T7 "What has my boy done?" Then in rapid succes 
sion followed the anxious questions, " Has my boy 
misbehaved? has he deserted his post or shrunk 
from the charge ? " " No, no," replied the informant 
"but he is slain — he shrunk not from the hottest of 
the fire, but fell while nobly acting his part." " Ah !' 
exclaimed the good old man, raising his dimmed 
eyes, " my boy w T as honest — I am satisfied — bring in 
the corpse that I may once more embrace the dar- 
ling of my soul." 

49. With his own hands, he washed the gore 
and dust from his gaping wminds, rejoicing that so 
brave and noble a youth had gone, as he trusted, 
where the wicked cease from troubling. Our single- 

dS 1 our hearted ancestors dreaded dishonesty more than 
cK tors death. Our prayer is, that their posterity will 
Sh? gratefully remember their toils that we might be 

free, and, in God's strength, endeavor to imitate 

their integrity of purpose. 

50. While Burgoyne was moving up Lake 
Champlain to invest Ticonderoga, Col. St. Leger 

I<°hu7 was dispatched w i tn about 2,000 Canadians and 
ten Indians, by way of Oswego, against Fort Schuyler, 
Wh0 situated on the site of the present village of Rome, 
maided commanded by the brave Col. Gansevoort, with a 
schuy- garrison of 700 almost as brave hearts as his own. 

ler, and ° 

rondSon They had but six weeks' provisions on hand, and a 
SrisoSl scanty supply of ammunition, and not even a flag 

to wave above the fort, 
what 51. St. Leger sent a message to these brave men 

message . ° 

jyif"* to surrender, threatening to give them over to the 
Snl what brutalities of the savages, should they refuse. They 
wS? ? answered boldly at the same time hoisting a flag 



Who was 

sent 
against 



Chap. II. 



BATTLE OF ORISKANY. 



285 



which they had made themselves, little heeding it tt 
the horrid yells of 1.000 Indians, who, during the 
live-long night, at intervals, made the dark forest 
around the fort echo with their hideous warwhoop. 
In the mean time Gen. Herkimer, assured of the JJ| t i dld 
desperate condition of the garrison, determined to SSKo to 
march to their relief ; he accordingly started, and 
on approaching the fort, he sent an express to what » 
Gansevoort, saying that he had reached the ene- f^ ce se nt 
my's camp within 8 miles. voort'? se ' 

52. As a signal that the express had reached 
him in safety, three cannon were to be fired, on 
hearing which Herkimer was to cut through the 
enemy's camp — while Gansevoort should assist him 
on the other side. Early the next morning, the 
signal awoke many of the soldiers to the march. 
Onward they passed in files of two deep, with an g^ scribe 
advanced guard to open the way. Suddenly, on all Her r kf- 0< 
sides, sounded a terrific yell, as if his whole army troops, 
was surrounded, and in another moment the dark 
woods glittered with tomahawks, and the quick 
flash of rifles. 

53. An awful scene was then presented, which J* 1 * 
almost baffles description — on both sides men fell See 
like the leaves of autumn, and the carnage and 
clamor were enough to appall the stoutest heart. In 
the midst of the battle, a tremendous thunder shower 
burst upon them, and the intervals of silence were 
said to be more awful than the loudest uproar. The 
contest was suspended for the time, and the "two 
armies seemed to have been suddenly turned to what is 

J said of 

stone." As the rain abated, the battle was resumed [ he ,^ 

' tack at 

tvith greater fury, and although for six hours this gj^J 8 



286 



REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 



Part I... 



i-j murderous work had been going on, Herkimer and 
his men, though weary and fainting, determined to 
press forward to the brave men at the fort. At last, 
amid the tumult, the Indian cry ol flight, " Oomah, 
Qomah " sounded joyfully in theii ears, and with 
it they joined the glad shout of "Victory" sending 
a thrill through the wounded and dying. 
S a o/ s 54:. This battle has been slightly noticed by his- 
this bat- torians, but a more bloody one, considering the num- 
bers engaged, was never fought, and the Americans 
with all their disadvantages remained victorious. 
Many a soldier bled and died* on the field of Oris- 
kany. We again turn to the graphic page of 
Headley for a notice, in passing, of the scene after 
the battle. 

what 55. There lay, he says, white man and savage, 
Headiy near a thousand of them scattered around through 
ti h e e of at ' the forest, part pale in death, others reclining on 
nyi their elbows, or sitting up against the trees, moan- 
ing piteously for water. The bright uniform of the 
officer glittered beside the naked body of the In- 
dian ; and all around, thick as the leaves, were 
strewn shivered spears, broken muskets, and neg- 
lected swords. Here lay a pile of fifty together, and 

* Gen. Herkimer was so severely wounded at the battle of 
Oriskany, that it was found necessary to amputate his leg. 
The story is, that owing to the two surgeons who performed 
the operation being intoxicated, it was badly done and he bled 
to death. His wife attempted to staunch the blood, but Herki- 
mer saw that soon its steady flow would stop the wheel at the 
fountain, and he bade her an affectionate farewell. After which 
he called for a Bible, and read aloud the 38th Psalm, and then 
calmly resigned his soul into His hands, in whom he trusted 
for pardon. 



Chap. II. 



FORT SCHUYLER. 



287 



there a solitary warrior, stretched where the death m? 
shot had struck him. Two would be found side 
by side, with their bayonets in each other's bosom ; 
and near by a " white man and an Indian born on 
the banks of the Mohawk, their left hands clenched 
n each other's hair, the right grasping in a grasp 
of death the knife plunged in each other's bosom ;" 
thus they lay frowning. Days after the battle the 
bodies still lay unburied, many of them torn to 
pieces by wild beasts. 

56. The Americans, though victors, had suffered 
too severely to think of cutting their way to the 
fort and retreated. 

The fate of Fort Schuyler seemed now despe- J*^ e ct 
rate. The reinforcement sent to its relief com- gaAsbn 
pelled to retreat — the garrison surrounded by foes Ichuy- 
— a scanty supply of provisions — all threatened 
death by sword or hunger. 

Two Americans taken prisoners at Oriskany, Whatac - 
were compelled to write to Gansevoort an exagge- en by 
rated account of the numbers of the British, stating Am eri 

; ° can pris 

that Burgoyne had reached Albany, and that far- 
ther resistance would prove their ruin. Gansevoort lsh? 
told the officer who bore this letter, that he would didGan- 

' sevoort 

only surrender at the cannon's mouth. reply? 

57. The officer then repeated the threat that the what 
Indians would be let loose on the defenseless settle- was at 
ments if he persisted ; when Gansevoort, looking theoffi- 
him full in the face, and throwing all the sarcasm 

he was master of into his tone , said, " After you get whatdid 
ut of this fort, you may turn round and look at say 
its outside; but never expect to come in again 
unless you come a prisoner. I consider the mes 



count 
was giv- 



Ganse- 
voort 



288 



REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 



Part II 



17TT sage you have brought a degrading one for a 
British officer to send, and by no means a reputa- 
ble one for a British officer to carry. For my own 
part, before I would consent to deliver this garri- 
son to such a murderous set as your army, by 
your own account, consists of, I would suffer my 
body to be filled with splinters and set on fire, as 
you know has, at many times, been practised by 
such hordes of women-and-childr en-killers as be- 
long to your army." 

58. St. Leger, finding all attempts to terrify them 
into a surrender fail, prepared to sap the fort. 
Finally, Gansevoort, finding St. Leger within 150 
yards of the fort, into which he constantly threw 
shells, determined, at midnight, to cut his way 
sword in hand through the enemy's camp. A pro- 
tecting Providence, which has all hearts in its hands, 
was moving some brave ones in behalf of this gar- 
whatis rison. The noble-hearted Schuyler, then at Alba- 
schujr- ny, heard with much emotion of the defeat of Her- 
kimer, and trembled for the fate of the garrison, 
what re U11 ^ ess relieved speedily. To all his entreaties to 
m'ldTto sen d troops thither, he was answered, that as Bur- 
Jectlons? goyne was now moving rapidly down the river, it 
would be unsafe to send any of their forces away. 
Schuyler entreated, and still the same answer was 
given ; when, in his agitation, turning fiercely 
round, and crumbling his pipe in his mouth as his 
teeth angrily closed on it, he exclaimed to the 
whatdid council of officers, " Gentlemen, I shall take the 
finally responsibility on myself ; where is the brigadier 
that will command them ? I shall beat up for 
volunteers /" 



FORT SCHUYLER RELIEVED. 



289 



59. Arnold, still a friend to America, sprung to 

his feet, and with his usual promptitude, offered to Wh0 of _ 
lead the expedition. 800 men were found ready com- t0 
to start at the beat of the drum. Away they the ex- 

J J peditionJ 

marched, with the greatest alacrity. Fearing, how- 
ever, the same fate which befell Herkimer's men 
might be theirs, he had recourse to a stratagem, be- 
fore attempting to fight his way through. 

60. A spy, by the name of Cuyler, who had been ^ at £ hat 
taken, was brought before Arnold, and promised f™ \t d 
pardon on condition he would give such an exag- recouree1 
gerated account of the American forces as to ter- 
rify the Indians into a retreat. Life was precious 

to the spy— he accepted the proposal, and the stra- 
tagem succeeded. To the utter surprise of Gan- 
sevoort, who knew nothing of the affair, the Indi- SeVat- 
ans and English, on the morning of the 23d of Sled, 

• n n- i i • i • andwhat 

August, were seen in sudden night, leaving their ^J® 01 ^. 
baggage and artillery. The stratagem of Arnold duced? 
had the desired effect, and in a short time he was 
heard in the distance, at the head of his noble sol- 
diers, making the woods ring with their joyful 
cheers, which were heartily answered by the re- 
lieved garrison at Fort Schuyler. 

61. Burgoyne was confounded when the reports „ 

° - 7 r How was 

of the battle of Bennington and the failure of St. B u y ne af _ 
Leger, one after the other, came in, and was seri- with the 

iii . • e r news of 

ously perplexed as to his future course of action, de- 
The overthrow of these forces was the first in a 
grand series of events that finally involved in ruin 
the whole royal army. Burgoyne was in a wilder- What is 
ness, surrounded with enemies, greatly in want of Bur- ° f 
previsions ; and placing little confidence in his In- w«*wti«i» 

19 



290 



REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 



Pari J 2. 



till dian allies, he felt that he mast soon either conquei 
or surrender. He accordingly collected his artil- 
lery and scanty store of provisions, and made a 
desperate effort to advance, and cut his way through 
to join Clinton. After constructing a bridge of 
where boats, he passed his army over the Hudson, and on 
two ar- the 14th of Sept. encamped on the plains of Saratoga. 

mtes en- r r r o 

camped* ^2. The American army was about four miles 
distant, and daily receiving reinforcements. The 
excesses of Burgoyne's army had roused the inhab- 
itants to a full sense of their wrongs. With one 
accord they seemed to pour from every valley, ham- 
naa a sent let, and hill-slope, to protect their fire-sides. The 
through mui 'der of Miss Jane McCrea* by some Indians in 
thelan<1? Burgoyne's advance party, sent a thrill of horror 
through the land, and was one of a hundred in- 
ducements for every father and brother to rush to 
the conflict. 

63. Schuyler's army, from a few disheartened 
soldiers, increased rapidly, and his heart beat with 
delight at the thought of a glorious victory. Just 
at this long wished for moment, news came which, 

* During the halt of the British at Fort Edward, an incident 
occurred which greatly increased the odium justly cast on the 
British ministry, because of their barbarous order for Burgoyne 
to form an alliance with the ferocious savages of the wilder- 
ness. A young lady named McCrea, represented as beautiful 
and accomplished, the daughter of an American loyalist, was, 
just previous to the war, affianced to a young English officer 
named Jones. Jones dispatched a party of Indians with a letter 
and a horse, to bring his intended bride in safety to the camp. 
On the way, two of the principal savages disputed about which 
should present her to her lover, when one of them killed her with 
his tomahawk, to prevent the other from receiving the promised 
reward of a barrel of ruin. — Lossing. 



Chap. II. 



GENERAL ARNOLD. 



291 



had he been less noble and firm, would have caused 1777 
him to retaliate at the offered insult. After having 
gone through with untold drudgery, and shrunk 
from no hardship, endured complaints and angry 
speeches wUhout retorts, he received a cold mes- Whal 
sage from Congress, that he was to be superseded dM ssage 
by Gates. His noble heart keenly felt the indig- j^ ive 
nifey — but for the example of youth we would no- g°"' ? 
tice his conduct, as one of the noblest triumphs of 
patriotism and virtue over envy and jealousy. We he° W re- 1(l 

r . . ceive the 

shall soon have occasion to notice him as a mag- insult1 
nanimous man. 

64. Arnold, also, was treated with the same in- how did 

7 1 Arnold 

dignity, but the same god-like principle was not 
the ruling action of his life. Arnold was proud, £ t . 
and could not bear to be humbled — he was ambi- ment? 
tious, panted for more fame, and could not for- 
give an insult. It was an outrageous insult on the 
part of Congress, when junior officers were pro- 
moted over persons so popular as Arnold, Stark, 
and Schuyler. We find no excuse for Arnold's 
subsequent conduct, but agree with the board of was a h- du! 
war, to whom he appealed, that he was " cruelly gjjjjjjg 
and groundlessly aspersed ;" and with Washington, tef? 
that both he and Schuyler, with St. Clair and 
Stark, received repeated and bitter insults after all 
the acts of self-denial they had freely performed. 

65. Although many were dissatisfied, at the 
time, with the manner in which the northern posts 
had been given up, the peculiar and trying circum- 
stances under which our army was placed, rendered 
it imprudent to act otherwise. They were tried by 
a court-martial, and acquitted with the highest 



292 



REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 



Part II. 



i'jii honor. We ^an now see an overruling Providence, 
how can that orders even afflictive dispensations for the ben- 
the ha e nd eflt of those who trust in God. Burgoyne was led. 
Jence in under perplexing circumstances, farther and farther 
evems ? fafo heart of the country, and suddenly, con- 
trary to all his expectations, found himself sur- 
Did Bur- rounded by the enemy, he had regarded as van- 
chooseto quished. To retreat, he must abandon his expe- 

retreat or 1 r 

advance? dition — to advance, seemed full of danger ; but still 
he proudly chose the latter. 

66. On the 17th of September, his army came 
nearly in contact with the Americans, when some 
skirmishing took place. About noon on the 19th, 

what .our army advanced and offered battle. Burgoyne 

British J & - 

w& M NVas at head of his army, and Generals Phil- 
go.v^r lips, Reidesel, and Frazer, were actively engaged. 

Gates had under him the intrepid Arnold, and his 
Amen- brave companions, Morgan and Dearborn. The 
battle opened furiously, as if both hosts were deter- 
mined to conquer or die. 

67. The firing continued in one incessant roar 
what is and blaze for three hours, covering the field with 
t^? oa " bounded and dying. It was an obstinate and un- 
yielding contest. At one time the British were 
overpowered, but being reinforced, the Americans 
were repulsed. The same ground was occupied 
successively, and the blood of both armies mingled 
in the death struggle. The victory was claimed 
by the British, but the advantages were decidedly, 
on the part of the Americans. They were the 
assailants, they held their ground through the day, 

the and retired without being pursued, having: lost 

on o r / o 

only 64 killed, and 255 prisoners and wounded. 



cans 
were 
with 
Gates') 



What 



ioss on 

both 

sides? 



GATES AND ARNOLD. 



293 



The British lost 600 in killed, wounded, and 1*777 
prisoners. 

68. The royal army lay all night on their .arms What 
on the battle field, strewed with the slain — while by* the 6 
the soldiers in search of spoils stripped, indiscrimi- f 
nately. the bodies of the gay uniform of the Eng- myJ 
lish, or the plainer blue garb of the American. 
Both parties lay within sound of each other's voices 

for 16 days, and considerable skirmishing took ^ hy did 
place, resulting from the attempts of the British to gojme 
forage. Burgoyne looked with the utmost anxiety J^Va 
for aid from Sir Henry Clinton, from New York, fatelt- 
but finding starvation staring his army in the face, force his 
he determined to make a desperate effort to force 
his way through the American lines. 

69. During this interval, a dissatisfaction arose Whywa9 
oetween Gates and Arnold, because Gates refused di™at? 3 - 
\o give Arnold even a tenth part of the praise due Gate^* 
to him for his undaunted bravery at Stillwater. 
Gates was envious, because the whole army gave 
Arnold and his division the credit of the battle of 

the 19th, and falsely represented the affair to Con- 
gress in his official report. To crown the injustice 
of Gates, he took away Arnold's division from him 
and gave it to Col. Lincoln ; so that now, on the 
eve of another battle, one of the bravest officers in 
the American army was without a command. His 3 at £ 
nature was too proud to bear this — he had never AmM 
learned in childhood to brook an insult. How 
many hours of bitterness would have been spared 
Arnold, had he felt the beauty of the Saviour's ex- 
ample of humility and patience under insults. 

70. When the roar of the cannonade of the 7#i 



294 



REVOLUTIONARY "WAR. 



Part 11. 



\m of October reached his ears, while sitting in his 
what is tent > ne could no longer restrain his maddened 
AmoW's feelings. He would enter the battle, and, for aught 
on the we know, he wished it might be his last. His con- 

7th of - ° 

October? fi uc t was frightfully daring, as, mounted on a beau* 
tiful horse, named Warren, after the hero of Bun- 
ker Hill, he rushed madly in the hottest of the fire, 
while his shout was heard above the horrid din of 
conflicting armies. Regardless of danger, he rode 
at one time from one extremity of the line to the 
other, exposed to the cross fire of the armies, fol- 
lowed by the loud huzzas of admiring troops. 
71. Gates, fearing lest this impetuous horseman 
frhat should, by winning this battle, eclipse his own 
™ nd sent name, at this perilous moment, dispatched Col. 
tl Ar- tea Armstrong after him, with a command to retire 
nold? from the field.* The beloved general of the army, 
now without a command, was obeyed in an in- 
stant ; and groups of veterans, who had followed 
him in many a toilsome march, crowded around 
him, eager for orders, 
wiwdid 72. Pointing to the camp surrounded with a 
recog- wa ll of armed men and cannon, he shouted to them 

nize on * 

Ue e fieid} as his quick eye recognized the scarred faces of his 
old comrades. " You will not fail me now — on to 
the fortress, my brave soldiers, you and you, on 
again — you know me well/' The black horse is 
urged forward amid the fierce blaze of a thousand 
«Mof guns, to the very sally port of the enemy. This 
tack on position must be won, or the American cause was 

lamp? 

* During the battle of Saratoga, Gen. Gates was quietly siu 
ting in his room, conversing with a British officer. He fought 
both these battles like a European gentleman— in his camp. 



Cliap. II. 



BURGOYNES SURRENDER. 



295 



dishonored. So shouted Arnold at the sally port. 1^17 
As the piteous screams of " quarter, quarter" 
reached the ears of the Americans, the gallant 
charger which had borne the victorious general 
through scenes of blood and fire, fell pierced by 
many balls, and Arnold lay wounded and bleeding, 
shouting, " Thebattle is ours, Saratoga is icon." 

73. This was Arnold's last battle for his still 
beloved country, and yet no tidings of his bravery, 
or of Morgan's came to Congress from the envious 
Gates. Arnold was carried bleeding from the field 
amid the deafening shouts of Victory, victory."' 
The British lost several valuable officers, anions what 

' o was the 

whom none was more lamented than Gen. Frazer. l g** h oa 
Their entire loss was over 400 men ; that of the Sldes? 
Americans about SO. 

74. The British camp was evacuated during - the 

• i i c i Why die 

night, and soon alter an attempt was made to not Bur - 
° ' 1 goyne re- 

retreat to Fort Edward, but intelligence was Jg Ed- 
brought that this foit was already in possession of ' vard? 
the Americans, and every avenue of retreat was 
blockaded by the enemy. Still Burgoyne was too 
proud to submit to his fate, and yield all his bright 

visions of future fame and srlorv at once. He resisted 

• 111 i What 

until the last moment, as hope after hope proved ^ a v s n J ur " 

vain, until worn out and weary he agreed, after Ibhsld 

touch consultation, upon an honorable surrender of todo1 

the relics of his once splendid army of 10,000 men. 

75. It was stipulated, that on the 17th they were vhai 
to march out of their camp with the honors of war Ssuf 
to the place assigned, where their arms and artillery der3 
were to be piled at the command of their own offi- 
cers. That a passage should be allowed them to 



296 



REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 



177 7 Great Britain on condition of their not serving 
what again during the war. The trophies obtained by 
were ob- this great capitulation were, officers and soldiers. 
thi 3 u 5,791. The train of brass artillery and other ord- 

great ca- ' # * _ 

gjj^ a " nance was of immense value, consisting of 42 pieces 
of cannon, besides 7,000 muskets, with six thousand 
dozen cartridges, a vast supply of shot, shells, &c. ? 
a great number of tents and military stores, with 
clothing for 7,000 men. 
how 76, Every possible courtesy was shown to the 
tr a p ops red officers, and our soldiers were not allowed to wit- 
teated? negg surren( j er . "We here see one of the most 
unexpected reverses of fortune, as ordained by divine 
Providence. The proud, presuming foe, the haughty 
commander, who threatened to lay waste our cities 
what is and expose our helpless women to the merciless 

here said 1 1 

goynf? Hessian and savage — who said his army should not 
retreat — was at last obliged to sue for terms of sur- 
render to the very people whom he had treated with 
sovereign contempt. With the long and loud huz- 
was at za of victory from an oppressed people, arose an- 
teSaiSz- other cry over the land, of praise to Him who limits 
gjjj™*" the extent of human power, and decrees in wisdom 
the destinies of nations. 

77 The testimony of several English writers is 
given to the magnanimity with which such foes as 
Bursroyne and his army had been treated. The 

What is 

«uj of magnanimous Gen. Schuyler, notwithstanding Bur- 
l°r's uy " goyne had in wantonness ordered his splendid 
Sot of country-seat near Saratoga to be destroyed, opened 
oyne? the old family town-mansion to the captiv 7 e officers, 
Burgoyne learned a lesson on the beauty of forgive- 
ness, and could not forbear saying to Gen. Schuyler, 



FORTS MONTGOMERY AND CLINTON. 



297 



"You show me great kindness, sir. though I have \>m 
done you much injury." Tc which the noble- 
hearted man replied, " That was the fate of war, 
think no more of it. n 

78. It is worthy of note, that at the very time what is 
that Burgoyne was receiving the most honorable worthy 

° J ,° of note? 

and generous terms for himself and his army, 
acts of the most wanton barbarism were committed 
by the army of Clinton, on the North river. Clin- 
ton, on the 5th of October, while Burgoyne was 
anxiously looking for aid previously to the last bat- halcun- 
tle of Saratoga, and only ten days before his sur- mad e? 
render, had moved from New York, and under con- 
voy of some ships of war, sailed up the river about 
forty-five miles, landing at Verplanck's Point. 

79. This was done as a feint to deceive Putnam, why was 
stationed at Peekskill, who, supposing it to be Clin- done1 
ton's intention to push on northward to Burgoyne, 
drew away as many troops as could be spared from 
Forts Montgomery and Clinton, to oppose his pro- 
gress. The feint succeeded, and immediately Clin- whatdia 

i • i r i ■ i i Clinton 

ton, taking advantage ot their weakened state, doon th « 

» ° ° ' success 

marched two thousand of his men over the rugged move"* 
range of the Dunderberg, and completely surprised ment? 
both garrisons at once. They fought desperately, 
but at last were overpowered, and the forts fell into 
the hands of the British. 

80. Part of the garrison escaped in the darkness what 
of night, but about 250 men were left, including of c the e 

to ' > b gamsoa J 

the killed and wounded. Gen. Putnam, having 
only a few men to guard some stores, was obliged 
to retire as the enemy approached — destroying 



298 REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 



Fart II. 



i ttt every thing in their route of cruelty and devasta- 
what tion. Gen. Yaughan, as if to consummate their 
barba°r- barbarity, destroyed the beautiful town of Esopus, 
LTbT" not s P ai "hrg the church or any other building. The 
vaugh- situation of Gen. Gates was now perilous in the ex- 
treme ; for, with Burgoyne on one side, and Yaughan 
and Clinton within a few hours' march and sail, 
he felt that what was "to be done 'twere well that 
it were quickly done." 
What 81. Here, too. another providential incident oc- 
demiai curred. A spy, dispatched to Burgoyne, was 
occurred taken, who, finding" himself in danger of detection. 

about 

t£e? was observed to swallow something taken hastily 
from his pocket. An emetic was administered, 
which, although it proved fatal to the spy, was con- 
sidered a lucky escape for the Americans. A silver 
bullet was thrown up, which, being unscrewed, 
was found to inclose a letter from Sir H. Clinton 
to Burgoyne, dated Fort Montgomery, October 8, 
commencing, " Nous voici — and nothing between 
us but Gates" &c, &c. 
Relate 82. In another instance, a man was seized in 
courftof Gen. Putnam's camp, under suspicious circum- 
Sundm stances, and on trial, was found to be in the British 

Put- , ' ' 

nam's service. Gov. Trvon addressed a letter to Gen 

tamp? J 

Putnam, reclaiming the spy as a British officer, and 
threatening vengeance in case he should be exe- 
cuted. This drew from the witty Putnam the fol- 
lowing characteristic reply : 



" Sir : Nathan Palmer, a lieutenant in your king's 
service, was taken in my tamp as a spy — he was 



CAMP AT VALLEY FORGE. 



299 



condemned as a spy — and you may rest assured, jtt7 
sir, that he shall be hanged as a spy. 

" I have the honor to be, &c, 

"Israel Putnam." 
To his Excellency, Gov. Tryon. 
" P. S. Afternoon. — He is hanged? 

83. Immediately after the surrender of Burgoyne, 
Gen. Gates dispatched a body of troops to the relief 

of Putnam, on which Gen. Clinton ordered the im- cimton ld 
mediate return of his troops to New York, having 
by fire and sword completely desolated the country, 
and spread ruin and death in many a peaceful 
family. About the same time, the British troops 
retired to Canada, and the northern department 
was once more restored to tranquillity. 

84. We have already given a statement of our 

i i i i -ii i • What is 

army at the south, and have sighed over their re- said of 
verses. They were men equally brave and true, aS?f rn 
but enfeebled by the detachments Washington 
generously sent to Gates. We left them in their 
huts at Valley Forge, and alluded to their deep 
necessities. No language can depict the suf- ™^™> 
ferings of our ancestors at Valley Forge. Night For * e ' 
after night, they sat shivering, nearly naked and 
starving, around their fires. Famine stared them 
in the face, and disease disabled hundreds of their 
number. During the day, amid sleet and snow, 
they performed the duty of pack-horses, and carried 
heavy loads of fuel on their naked shoulders, or 
yoked themseVes together before rude vehicles of 
their own construction, drawing logs, while the 
snow was stained with the bloody tracks of their 



300 



REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 



Part II. 



1777 bare feet. When the night came on. their weary 
limbs ached for repose — the bleak and frozen 
hill-side was the only 1 esting-place for hundreds ; 
and as the cold increased, they dared not lie down, 
but slept, sitting in groups around the fires. 

85. Washington's heart was often wrung with 
anguish, and he devised every means in his power 
to alleviate their sufferings. But even at this 
time of struggling and adversity, when his soul 
was rent with emotions of grief for their suf- 

What r . . ~ . . 

arose in * erln g s j a P ai 'ty a rose in Congress, m concert with 
gms's at General Conway and others, endeavoring to re- 
tire? move the chief command from the beloved of the 
people, the only man who could keep a mutinous, 
naked, sick, and starving army together — the man 
selected by the God of the oppressed to break the 
chains of bondage. 
Wh0 86. The candidates named to supersede Wash- 
Si* 6 ington were Gens. Mifflin, Lee, Gates, and Conway, 
named to Gen. Gates seemed to be the favorite candidate, and 

supei- 

wSh- there is every reason to suppose that he did all he 
mgton? j are( ^ m undermining the fair character of Wash- 
ington. But Washington came out of the fire of 
persecution like tried gold. The evil deeds of his 
enemies fell on their own heads. 
whaHs 87. Gen. Conway was afterward challenged by 
•jon-iay? Gen. Cadwallader for some vile speeches against 
Washington, and received a wound which he sup- 
posed to be mortal. He afterward trembled at the 
remembrance of his treatment of Washington, and 
confessed that he had slandered him. In all his 
pain, and at the honest hour of death, as he sup- 
posed he wrote a letter to Washington, saying, 



Chap. II. 



BARON STEUBEN. 



301 



among other expressions of sorrow for what he had 1777 
done, " You are in my eyes the great and good 
many' Truly he was a great and good man. AVhat 
Though his heart recoiled at such base insinuations wSh- 
and slanders, he chose to suffer contumely m ffod- conduct 

under in 

like silence, feeling that God had all hearts in his juries1 
hands, and could make even such enemies to be at 
peace with him. Besides, for his country's sake he 
was silent, for he knew that a public defense would 
expose many facts which an exulting enemy should 
not know. 

88. On the 15th of November, 1777, a plan of Wha tis 
confederation for the States was adopted, which, the plan 
however, amounted to little more than a friendly [edera- 
league, and served to unite the colonies more closely 

in their common cause. The plan w^,s proposed 
in the summer of 1775, by Benjamin Franklin, but 
obstacles to its execution arose, which could not 
easily be surmounted until the close of 1777. 

89. In December of this year, Baron Steuben, t . g 
relying on the promises of the French Court for ^j? of 
remuneration, arrived in this country, and was re- Iteuben* 
ceived by Congress with every mark of distinction. 

He was a man highly respected in Europe, had 
been aid-de-camp to the renowned Frederick, king 
of Prussia, and was singularly fitted by his previous 
life to aid and instruct our undisciplined army. 
Thus the same Providence that raised a leader 
eminently qualified for his work, gave us also friends 
to plead our cause among the princes of the earth. 
The noble foreigner hastened to Yalley Forge, and 
forthwith commenced an active system of discipline 
which conduced greatly to our future good success. 



302 



REVOLUTIONARY WAK. 



Part II. 



IT 78 

CHAPTER III. 

CAMPAIGN OF 1778. 

whatfa 1. In the spring of 1778, the French frigate, " La 
tjo/al- Sensible," arrived with the intelligence of the nego- 
with the tiation of a treaty of alliance between France and 
America. It was formed on the basis of perfect 
reciprocity of interest. In it Louis XVI. guaran- 
tied our commerce and independence. Intelli- 
gence was brought that other European powers 
were favorably inclined to the Republican cause, 
procia- Washington issued a proclamation from head- 
S quarters at Jalley Forge, appointing a day of pub- 
vaiiey lie thanksgiving to the Almighty Ruler of the uni- 
verse, for having so propitiously defended the cause 
of the American United States, 
why did 2. When the Enarlish Ministry were informed of 

the Eng- 

rffch 19 " tnis treaty, they immediately dispatched commis- 
erate- sioners to America, to attempt a reconciliation ; but 
America? ^ e { Y ff ers now cou [^ no t be accepted : once, the 



how colonists had humbly petitioned as just and loyal 
fer e s ir k- subjects for the very favors now offered, but were 
ceivod? S p Ume d f rom the throne, and their petitions treat- 
ed with the utmost contempt, 
what is 3. After the country had been deluged with the 
of us blood of its inhabitants, and after innumerable acts 

Amdi - ' 

sarw f violence and tyranny, the British meanly offered 
to give them what they asked for in humble terms. 
No, they said with one voice. Independence now, 
and Independence forever. Never would they return 



Chap. III. 



ENGLAND HUMBLED. 



303 



to the mother country. Txiey were firm in this wis 
resolve to the last. They had pledged their lives, 
their fortunes, and their sacred honors, to the cause 
of American independence. 

4. They felt the justice of their cause, and had In what 
a strong confidence in the overruling providence SstrS? 
of God, and though deficient in many things neces- d ence? 
sary to carry on the war, and apparently incompe- 
tent for the contest, they determined to press on- 
ward. Assailed by offers of gold, by threats, still 
they were firm. One of the generals in the army, 
when tempted by one of the commissioners with whatm- 

1 J stance of 

the offer of £10,000 sterling, and any office in 
his Majesty's gift, to use his influence in uniting Sfn here 
the colonies to Great Britain, replied, " I am not 
worth purchasing ; but such as I am, the King 
of Great Britain is not rich enough to buy me." 

5. The pride of the British nation had been W hat 
greatlv humbled by the defeat of their favorite gen- taught 

° * J ° in Eng- 

eral, and the ministry received the loudest censures ^ of 
from the party which had opposed the war. They furren' 3 
had little anticipated the ignominious result of den 
Burgoyne's campaign, and were not prepared to act 
in view of such an event. They had now been 
foiled in their attempt at negotiation and bribery, 
and were at a loss what new method to adopt. 

6. The ratification of the treaty of alliance ^hr^u 
warned them that French soldiers would soon join phia ade1 ' 
heart and hand with Americans. Deeming Phila- atedi 
delphia a disadvantageous position, being too far 
from the sea, and liable to be blockaded, the minis- 
try transmitted orders that it should be evacuated 

and the :oyal troops concentrated at New York. 



304 



REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 



Part II. 



itt 8 A s Gen. Howe had resigned. Sir Henry Clinton 
Wh0 was appointed commander-in-chief, and on him 
ed C Ge£ devolved the execution of these orders. 

7. He immediately set about the movement in 
the most secret manner, but it was discovered bv 

Why was 

Latky- the little band at Valley Forge. Washington im- 
'laf'and mediately dispatched Lafayette with 2,000 men to 
diiThT watch the enemy, and guard the country against 
their marauding parties. He crossed the Schuylkill 
and took post on Barren Hill, mid-way between 
Valley Forge and Philadelphia, being about nine 
miles from either place. 
What 8. A spy brought information of his movement 
was g done to gj r Henry Clinton. He immediately sent out 
Ston a superior force against Lafayette to surprise him, 
2eivi n? and by cutting off his retreat, oblige him to sur- 

lnforma- JO o 

aspy 6 ? " 1 lender. Through the negligence or perfidy of 
one of Lafayette's piquet guard, he was nearly 
L:3S- be surrounded at night. At sun-rise the next morn- 
sition. ing a spectacle, which was sufficient to appall an 
older heart than Lafayette's, met his gaze. Be- 
tween him and the Schuylkill lay the British troops 
strongly guarding one of the fords of that river, 
while a large number were so detached as to de- 
scend upon him, when he should attempt to move 
for the remaining passage, 
whatdid 9. At the same moment, Washington from his 
tost™ do camp discovered the approach of the enemy, and 
rhe e ap- s ordered the whole army to be in readiness to march 
tlTtne- to the relief of the detachment, if necessary. With 

ny ? 

his officers he mounted a hill, and with the utmost 
anxiety gazed through his glass, toward the 
Schuylkill. 



Cliap. III. BARREN HILL. 3u0 

10. Cool and collected, Lafayette hesitated not m& 
a moment. He dared not attack so large a body, 

but. he would not surrender. He had recourse to a To , vha , 
manoeuvre which gave him great credit. Forming ™T&d 
his little band partly in heads of columns which 

r - sort ? 

only extended beyond the woods, the British were 
ltd to suppose that the whole army was advancing 
against them and halted to give battle. In the 
mean time, beneath the very hill on which the ^« sc 2? 
British were posted, Lafayette was silently passing **** 
on his way. when at last, to the utter surprise of the 
enemy, the heads of the columns retreated with 
speed and the whole detachment reached Valley 
Forge, losing only nine men. Washington em- 
braced his youthful friend, while the army from 
their gloomy huts received him with joyful shouts. 
The retreat at Barren Hill has always been re- 
garded as a most skilful achievement. 

11. The number of troops at Yalley Forge in JJJd* 
May of this year, was about eleven thousand, and Srt" 
the whole American force then in the field did not can 

iorce J 

exceed fifteen thousand men. The British army 
in Philadelphia and New York amounted to thirty 
thousand, of which nineteen thousand were in the SJbW 
former place. Besides these there were nearly 4,000 
at Rhode Island. 

12. On the ISth of June the English troops what 

1 move- 
evacuated Philadelphia, and crossed into New Jer- ^ nt 

sey. whither Washington speedily followed them. ™ e %™ 

The country seemed filled with red-coated soldiers, ot June 

and the baggage train alone covered twelve miles took 

place at 
Mon- 
mouth 

warmly engaged at Monmouth, sixty-four miles awn? 1 * 
20 



306 



REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 



Part IL 



n i& from Philadelphia. The action was conducted with 
great skill on both sides, but although favorable to 
the Americans, was not a decided victory. 
From 13. This battle was fought on the Sabbath day, 
tSTsoi- and a fearful one it was. All day Jong they fought 
lufe^ on tne pl ams °f Monmouth, the sun pouring down 
rays of intense heat, the thermometer being ninety- 
six degrees. Many of the soldiers died of the heat, 
and the cry for water was more awful than the 
moans of the wounded. An unfortunate retreat 
permitted by General Lee,* nearly deranged the 
plan of operation, and but for the singular bravery" 
of Gen. Washington, who commanded the troops 
in person, the battle would have been lost, 
what is 14. When word came to Washington, that Lee 

said of ° ' 

Son" was m f uul retreat, the expression of his usually pla- 
fofmed 1 "' cid face is said to have been dreadful — with a 
retreat? burst of indignation, he sprang on his horse, and 

the cloud of dust alone told of his route. " Long live 
whatdid Washington /" the troops shouted as he galloped 
m e a J|" of furiously on until reining up in Lee's presence, he 
Lee ' demanded of him in tones of severity, whence 

arose the disorder and confusion. 
How did 15. Rebuke from Washington was terrible to 

Lee re- ° 

rebuke? 6 an y one > galling in the extreme to Lee. Not a 
moment was to be lost. Commands were given in 
quick succession and promptly obeyed. Order 
once more was restored, when Washington again 

JueXdid rode up to Lee and in token of his forgiveness, ex- 

Wash- 

togjon claimed, " Will you, sir, command in that place ?" 

* Major-geneial Lee, who was captured in 1776, was ex- 
changed in May, 1778, for Major-general Prescott, who was 
taken at Rhode Island bv Col. Barton. 



BATTLE OF MONMOUTH. 



307 



pointing to the front, exposed to the galling fire of 1778 
the British. He sullenly replied," Yes." " / ex- 
pect you to check the enemy immediately P 11 Your what 
orders" replied Lee, stung with mortification, lee's re 
" shall be obeyed ; I shall not be the first to leave 
the field."* 

16. A deadly fire was poured on them, and nobly what is 
they stood their ground. Hamilton was exposed to Hama- 
the hottest of the fire, and fearing lest Lee might 
again shrink under the heavy onset, exclaimed, 
" I will stay with you — I will die with you — let us 
all die rather than retreat." Wayne, too, showed ^ ^ 
distinguished valor on this fearful day. The bat- other .of. 
teries of Knox and Stirling were like sheets of d|°in ed 
flame, and every thing betokened the energy with bravery ? 
which the battle was fought. Night only put an 

* Lee. incapable of brooking even an implied indignity, ad- 
dressed two letters to the Commander-in-chief, couched in dis- 
respectful language, and with an air of defiance solicited a trial 
for his conduct. He was immediately put under arrest, charged 
with disobedience of orders, misbehavior before the enemy, and 
disrespect to the Commander-in-chief. He was found guilty 
of all the charges, and was sentenced to suspension from any 
command in the American army for one year. From this mo- 
ment his attacks on the character of Washington were more 
virulent and open, and his language at all times scurrilous and 
profane. He lived a wretched life, secluded from society, in a 
hovel without glass windows or plastering, until the autumn of 
1782, when he took lodgings in a common tavern in Philadel- 
phia. He was soon seized with a violent disease, which speed- 
ily terminated his life, Oct. 2, 1782. He was an infidel in prin- 
ciple, and hostile to every attribute of the Deity. In his will he 
requested not to be buried in any church or church-yard, or 
within a mile of any Presbyterian or Anabaptist meeting-house. 
What a contrast between such a death-bed scene and that of a 
Christian. 



308 



REVOLUTIONARY "WAR. 



ITT 8 eR d to the incessant firing, and as the thunder of 
~~ the guns died away, both armies, .exhausted under 
£nd a to the burning sun, lay down upon the ground, 
the bat- r p^ e stillness of that awful Sabbath even 

ing was broken by piteous cries for water, and 
the gfroans of the dying. The wearied Americans 

What & , , 

££j e slept soundly, for at the dawn of day they perceived 

fhe nng that the British after midnight had deserted their 

mght? camp, and were already beyond their reach. 

how 18. During - this day no less than 59 British sol- 
many ° j 

from hel diers perished from the heat alone. The Ameri- 

heat? cans lost eight officers and sixty-one privates killed, 

what and about one hundred and sixty-one wounded, 

u>m on 6 while the British lost, in all, three hundred and fifty- 
both 11 J 

..ides? eight men, including officers. One thousand men 

deserted during the march, and one hundred were 
what taken prisoners. This victory was celebrated with 
thought rejoicings throughout the United States, and Con- 
victory? gress passed a vote of thanks to Gen. Washington 

and his army for their bravery. 

19. Soon after the treaty of alliance had been 

vV^hat J 

were dis- ratified, France fitted out a fleet of twelve sail of 
to Ame- the line under Count d'Estaing, to co-operate 
with our army. At the same time, the British gov- 
ernment sent out a fleet to reinforce Admiral Lord 
Howe. Both fleets were delayed on the passage 
by contrary winds. In July, the French fleet 
SK" arrived off the coast of Delaware, and not finding 
them? f the British there, sailed for New York. Here they 
continued eleven days during which they captured 
twenty English merchantmen, when, with the ad- 
vice of Washington, D'Estaing sailed for New 
p^-t, with a view of co-operating with the Ameri- 



Chap. III. 



FRENCH FLEET. 



309 



cans in expelling the British from Rhode Island, itts 
of which they had held possession nearly two years. 

20. Sullivan, at the head of ten thousand men. JJJfthe 
had crossed over to Rhode Island to co-operate with Seman? 
the naval force. Generals Greene and Lafayette Qf 
were also sent with detachments, and on the 9th ^Til- 
of August, it was agreed to attack Newport hy tajett£> 
land and water, but on that very morning Admiral what 
Howe appeared with the British fleet. The French their 

r r plans, 

admiral in order to engage the enemy to better ad- fe n d d t^ hal 
vantage at sea, set sail to attack him. A terrible change? 
storm commenced which raged violently and inces- whatef- 
santly for three days, drenching the exposed forces the 
of Sullivan, and carrying destruction with it on gj, ^ 
the ocean. The fleets were both disabled, and alTtht 
obliged to put into their respective ports to relit. 

21. Gen. Sullivan no longer dared to remain, whatdi* 

° _ ' Sullivan 

and after some skirmishing in which there was do? 
considerable loss on both sides, the army made 
a skilful retreat to the main-land. It was a for- Why 
tunate action, for in a few hours Gen. Clinton ar- fortunate 
rived with four thousand men, and resistance from 
our little band would have been vain. Thus ended 
an expedition which nad promised a great deal, 
and of which high hopes had been entertained. 3y d h ^ r , e Ea . 
In November, D' Estaing sailed with his fleet for £n In 
the W est Indies, to attack the British dependencies N ° v 
in that quarter. 

22. During the summer of this year, a most har- whatoc- 

° m • curred 

assing war was carried on by the Indians against d ™^ m . 
the inhabitants on our western frontier, but an ex- th?syear 
pedition under the intrepid Col. Clarke soon put an 
end to these outrages. 



310 



REVOLUTIONARY "WAR. 



Parv II. 



1TT8 The lonely and sequestered vale of Wyoming 
next became the theatre of one of the most horrid 
what is scenes ever witnessed. 

wyo- of 23. Many years before the Revolution, a colonv 

ming, ita . 

situation from Connecticut had commenced a settlement m 

and set- 

tiement ? this charming valley through which the Susque- 
hannah flowed. The inhabitants were pious, and 
what is perhaps no spot on earth in so small a settlement, 
the in- numbered so many happy souls. About one thou- 
ants? sand families were gathered here, and industry and 
How frugality added to their prosperity. When the 
many of R evo i u ti on broke out, one thousand brave youths 
jg2? of noble sires joined the army. There is not a spot 
my? on our guilty earth uncursed by evil. Party spirit 
what is arose and the inhabitants divided in two parties, 
whig? as Whigs and Tories. The former had the ma- 
nes? jority and used some arbitrary measures, which 
so incensed the latter that they vowed to be re- 
venged. 

th?To- d 24. Taking advantage of the absence of the sons, 
advan ke they resolved on one of the blackest acts record- 
an g d eo ' ed on the historic page, joininsr to their number 

what did r b ° 

sSef severa -l hundred Indians anxious to witness the 
What annihilation of the whites — increasing their forces 
ind s ian he to about 1,600 — they started on their demoniacal 

force ? 



What is 
said of 

the beau- 



errand. Never did the valley of Wyoming present 
a more beautiful aspect, as far as nature's rich gifts 
om in? V at blessed it ; but a close observer could mark in the 
time hurried step and quickened speech of the old men, 
and the anxious face and tearful eye of the women, 
that danger was apprehended. 

25. Their fears were somewhat calmed by a 
message from Ool. Butler, the Tory commander, 



MASSACRE AT WYOMING. 



311 



that he would not harm them, but would like to 1779 
hold a parley with them. Accordingly Col. Zebu- Wlmt 
Ion Butler, a cousin of the commander of the sav- ™f But e 
age horde, accompanied by nearly all the menin Wnowa3 
the settlement, capable of bearing arms, went out meet to 
to meet them. Instantly the work of murder com- ^ o d k vvhat 
menced, and nearly every man was butchered in j^f a ° D 
the most awful manner. nvdi1 

26. The affrighted women and children fled to where 
the forts, which had been hastily erected, and every ^ n ° d m ^ i( 
possible means of defense was adopted by Col. flee" 
Dennison, who was left in command of the remain- 
der of the men. Soon, the horrid band came with tie 80 "? 

, . . 1 /• i 1 Pearanca 

yells and imprecations to the tort, and to make <£ n *e 
their errand known, they threw the bleeding scalps ZSed 
of 196 heads of their beloved ones into the fort. thefort 
Feeling resistance to be vain, Dennison sent out to 
inquire the terms of surrender, to which Butler re- Describe 

- the com 

plied, " The Hatchet." A few moments completed i\ et [°^ 9 
the horrid work. The men were murdered, and butc k h- of 
the women with their babes were locked in the ery " 
houses and forts, and destroyed in one awful con- 
flagration. Humanity sickens at the recital of such 
scenes. 

27. Wyoming was nevermore called the happy What 19 
valley. The few who survived the massacre, had wyo- of 

. ming? 

a bitter lot, and the grave received crushed and 
broken hearts, when at last their pilgrimage was where 
ended. Similar acts of atrociry took place at Cherry a™' per- 
valley in New York and at Tappan, but we for- J^** 
bear: the story of human beings engaging in such theVif 
deeds, is painful to the heart. In all these instan- IS en*. 

7 1 my? 



312 



REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 



Part II. 



the Brit 
ish re- 
solve to- 
ward 
the close 
of this 
cam- 
paign ? 



177 8 ces " Quarter" was asked, and answered only with 

a plunge of the bloody knife, 
what did 28. Toward the close of this campaign, the Brit- 
ish finding, after the capture of Burgoyne, nothing 
could be gained at the North, determined to change 
the plan of operations, and attempt the subjugation 
of the South. 

what i n November, Sir Henry Clinton dispatched Col. 
si? n He£ Campbell with about two thousand men to corn- 
make? mence operations against Georgia, then one of the 
weakest States. The American forces under the com- 
3 at f man d of their general, Robert Howe, were in adequate 
Ameri- to resist the enemy. They fought bravely, howev 
forces in er, but finally were overcome, and after a short con 
south? te Sl/ t h e ca pital suit endered, and the whole of Geor- 
whatof gi a came into possession of the British. This wa& 
in the the only State in the Union in which a legislative 
tto ast- body assembled, under the authority of Great Brit- 
ain, after the Declaration of Independence, 
what is 29. Thus ended the campaign of 1778, the least 

said of . p . i , • • r i 

pSn a ? m " im P orta nt of any since the beginning of the war 
Gen. Lincoln received orders from Congress to 
the ar-°' take command of the southern forces, and the army 
my under Washington retired to winter-quarters neair 
Middle-Brook in New Jersey. 



Chap. FV. 



PLAN OF CAMPAIGN. 



AIT 9 

CHAPTER IV. 

CAMPAIGN OF 1779. 



1. Never had the finances of the country been in what 

J was the 

so low a state, as in the beginning of 1779. Never g£ te gf 
had party spirit and private jealousies been more msT" 1 
rife in Congress, than at this moment. A gloomy 
prospect was presented to the American patriot. 
Here, again, the peculiar virtues and talents of 
Washington were exhibited in their brightest light. Whatls 
Attacked by misrepresentations and angry speeches, pfwS 
and loaded with a weight of troubles both in the Ker ail 

. . , his trial3( 

camp and out, still hoping and confiding in the arm 
of Providence, onward he went in the path of duty, 
the " great and good man," imitating the meek and 
lowly One, who, when he was reviled, reviled not 
again. 

2. Washington spent some time in Philadelphia what 

01 1 plan wag 

with Congress, maturing a plan for the campaign. j^Xf 
It was concluded to hold the army entirely on the pti£ n ? 
defensive, with the exception of visiting with con- 
dign punishment the Tories and Indians, who had 
committed such merciless ravages the preceding 
year. This defensive plan was necessary, from the What ef 
exhaustion of the treasury. Efforts had been made J^* 



had 



to negotiate loans in Europe, but only small SUinS raise 
had been obtained. No other resource remained mone> 
than to emh bills of credit, or paper money. In 1775 JJjJ 1 ^ 
three millions of dollars were issued. As a circu- s^T' 
lating medium, these bills were exceedingly valuable, money' 



REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 



Part II 



1779 3. At the commencement of 1779 the amount 
issued had risen to over one hundred motions of 
was the dollars, and during this year, the amount was dou- 
ofsuch t>led. A necessary consequence of such an im- 
sion™ 1 / " mense issue of bills of credit, was a depreciation of 
noney? notes to nearly a fortieth of their nominal value. 

4. The scanty provision made for the mainte- 
nance of the officers, induced many resignations, 
What until Congress, after having been repeatedly warned 
tforfdid Dv Washington, awoke to the true state of afTairs ; 
gress They resolved that half-pay should be allowed their 
the 6 pay °ffi cers j for. seven years after the expiration of their 
£idi?r e s services, and subsequently extended it to the dura- 
andwh * tion of their lives. 

whatex- 5. Throughout this year, little more was aimed 
sued out at ky the British in the North, than depredation and 
yo?k, w butchery. For this purpose an expedition was 
f 3 n saYd h of fitted out from New York against Virginia, in which 
private and public property was indiscriminately 
destroyed, and the most ferocious cruelty every 
where marked their path. In twenty-one days 
Portsmouth and Norfolk were seized, one hundred 
and twenty-seven vessels were taken or burned, 
and two and a half millions of property destroyed. 
It was an expedition only worthy of Goths — being 
undertaken merely for plunder, 
what is 6. A similar expedition was made against Con 
of gov. necticut, under Gov. Tryon. In works of brutality 

Tryon? ' * 7 . J 

he was often selected by Gen. Clinton. No act was 
too vile for him to perform — no place too sacred to 
desecrate. New Haven, Fairfield, and Norvvalk 
were visited, and exhibited fearful scenes of plun- 
der, conflagration, and distress. Before applying 



PUTNAM AT HORSE NECK. 



315 



the torch, the soldiers were allowed to break open. 1^9 
trunks, closets, and places of deposit, and appropri- What 
ate to their own use money, jewelry, or any other coquet 
article they coveted. After these marauding incur- on'smei 
sions, females, frantic and starving-, were found wan- 
dering in swamps and solitary places, whither they 
had fled for safety. 

7. Washington could do little to protect these Wh ^ 
places. He dared not divide his small army sta- $ash- no1 
tioned on both sides of the North river, in the im- send n 

r/;en to 

mediate vicinity of the enemy, as he would then gg** 
subject the whole to be destroyed. Besides, in places 
order to protect the inhabitants, he must have an 
army sufficiently large to cover the country, he 
therefore deemed it prudent to risk no more than 
was consistent with the general welfare. 

8. About this time General Putnam performed Describe 
his celebrated feat of riding down the stone stairs nam's 

celebra- 

at Horse Neck. He with 150 men was attacked by o/rfdfng 
Gov. Tryon, with 1,500, and retarded the advance stairs at 
of the enemy, until he saw the infantry and cavalry Neck, 
preparing for a charge. He instantly ordered his 
men to retire to a neighboring swamp, and plung- 
ing his rowels in his steed, rode down the precipice 
to the utter consternation and chagrin of the British 
dragoons. A shower of balls was poured upon him. 
He remained unharmed, though one pierced his hat. 
After procuring a reinforcement, he faced about and 
pursued Gov 4 Tryon, taking about fifty prisoners. 

9. The campaign of 1779 will ever be memora- 

r ° What i> 

ole for the reduction of Stony Point, one of the most | a t jJ iy of 
brilliant actions during the war. This post was PoluU 
on the west bank of the Hudson river, and was of 



316 REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 

1779 vast importance to either army. It had been 
strengthened by every means of art. Situated on 
an eminence washed by the Hudson on two sides, 
while a swamp overflowed by the tide lay on the 
other side. Six hundred men guarded this fort, 
and a double row of abattis surrounded the entire 
bill. Washington committed this hazardous en- 
terprise to the gallant Wayne. 
Describe ^* ® n evening of July 16th, after marching 
Srch fourteen miles over lofty heights, through deep mo- 
ston a y d lasses and narrow defiles, with his band of twelve 
hundred, he approached the fort, within a mile. 
Every thing depended on silence, and he sternly or- 
dered each man to march w T ith unloaded musket 
and fixed bayonet. At midnight, dividing his men 
into two parties, and heading one division himself, 
orders were given for one party to enter the fortress 
at the right, and the other at the left. The tide had 
flooded the whole marsh, yet they stopped not for 
that. 

De-rribe 1.1. An advance party of twenty men attacked 
feci. the double palisade, when instantly the sentinels 
upon the fort shouted in hot baste, " The foe — they 
come, they come ! " while from below Wayne 
sounded in startling accents, " On to the fort, my 
brave men, on to the fort !" A tremendous fire was 
poured upon them, but onward they marched 
through the morass, driven into spray by the grape- 
shot and balls, while the hissing, bursting shells fell 
around them in every direction. At last the heavy 
axes of the advance party or forlorn hope forced 
iheir way, and a shout of joy sounded through the 
air. 




STONY POINT. 



317 



12. At this moment their gallant leader fell, itt9 
wounded in the head. Although wounded, he said What is 
to his men, with enthusiastic tones, "March m, ^Wnei 
and cany me to the fort^fo^ I will die at the head 

of my column." They lifted him, and with his 
head upon a faithful breast, they bore him onward 
until the centre of the fort was reached, and both 
parties met, when a deafening shout rent the air. y Vere 
The point was grained. The fort w T as carried, and flt'kunn 

r ° 7 their at- 

the military stores, standards, and ordnance fell tack? 
into the hands of the Americans. The English 
lost over six hundred, in killed and prisoners. 

13. The brave are scrupulous in the observance what 
of the laws of humanity toward a conquered foe. $ nd t J£* 
Our honest soldiers abstained from pillage or dis- victor9) 
order, and disdained to take the \\ves of those who 
asked " quarter ;" thus showing, as was said to 
Wayne, that "bravery, humanity, and magnanimity 

are the national virtues of the Americans." 

Soon after, the British at Paulus Hook, opposite W hat 
to New York, were surprised by Major Lee, who posttww 

ii- • r . ii- taken? 

succeeded in storming the works and taking one 
hundred and sixty prisoners. 

14. While these events were transpiring at the W g y B fJ! 
North, scenes of equal interest were enacted in t? B u£u! 
Georgia and South Carolina. The enemy were Sgg* " 
encouraged by hope of a speedy victory, as the ease? 
country was weak through a scanty population, 
numerous slaves and tories. 

As has been already mentioned, Gen. Lincoln why was 

J ' Gen. Lin- 

WaS dispatched to collect the army, scattered after gJJaS* 

the battle of Savannah, in December of 1778, and 

to defend the inhabitants as much as possible from 



318 



REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 



Part H 



n?9 the marauding- attacks of the British and tories 
what is Many of these were men of infamous character 
the d to- more solicitous for booty than for the interests of 

ries 1 . 

the king. They had been reinforced by troops from 
whosuc- Florida, and Prevost received the chief command 

ceeded ' , 

b e T? p " of the Southern British army, in the place of Camp 

bell, who had returned to England, 
what 15. The first object of the British was to get pos- 
S! of sess i° n °f Port Royal in South Carolina, but they 
the^Brit- were me [ j^y Q \ t Moultrie, of whom we have spoken, 

and repulsed with great loss, 
why did Encouraged by this action, Gen. Lincoln sent an 
S'send expedition of fifteen hundred men under Gen. Ash. 

Gen. Ash r . . . - . 1 

the'ene- to re P ress the incursions of the enemy m Georgia, 
Georgia? an d by driving them from their posts on the Sa- 
vannah, confine them to the low and unhealthy 
country near the ocean. The British, as they ap- 
proached, evacuated Augusta, and Gen. Ash pur 
sued them as far as Briar Creek, Here he was sud- 
the at- °^ eni y an d unexpectedly surprised by Prevost, who, 
Briar at w i tn nine hundred veterans, by a circuitous march, 
Creek? had fallen upon his rear. One hundred and fifty of 
the Americans were killed by the first fire of the 
enemy, and in retreat, many were drowned in the 
Savannah river, or engulfed in the deep morasses 
on its margin. By this unfortunate surprise, 
Gen. Lincoln lost one-fourth of his army, and the 
British were again in full possession of Georgia, 
what 16. Great apprehensions were now entertained 

fears rr 

nowm f° r tne sa -f et y °f tne adjacent States, and the brave 
Ia? in ' Carolinians, defeated but not discouraged, gathered 
around the standard of Lincoln. John Rutledge, 
a man beloved and extensively known in that re- 



Cfiap. IV 



ADMIRAL D'ESTAING. 



319 



gion, wa? elected governor, and invested with die- 1779 
tatorial powers. 

The condition of the southern States claimed the Whati8 
immediate attention of Congress, as Lincoln's army, Lincoln's 
except a few hundred continentals, consisted of ^ e d a ^ hat 
inexperienced militia, and many of these were be- ^ e 
coming impatient of absence from their homes, enlarge 
Washington sent a part of his own small band, and 
solicited D'Estaiag, who was still employed in ope- 
rations against the British in the West Indies, to 
proceed immediately to the southern States, to en- 
gage in the fall campaign. 

17. D'Estaing at once accepted the invitation, what is 
and in September appeared off the coast of Georgia, djej^ 
to the great surprise of the British, and captured arrivah 
three frigates and a fifty gun ship. But the Bri- 
tish concentrated all their forces at Savannah, and W hat<hd 
made diligent preparations for defense. D'Estaing taing de- 
proudly demanded a surrender of the town, which, 
after 24 hours' consideration, was refused by Pre- JJ^ a { he 
vost, saying he meant to hold out to the last. Im- p^vmU 
mediately 37 cannon and 9 mortars, accompanied 

by 16 heavy guns from the fleet, opened a furious 
discharge. The garrison replied by a fire from 
nearly 100 cannon, and kept up an unceasing roar, 
day and night, for five days. Still no breach had 
been made, but the sufferings of the inhabitants 
were fearful. 

18. At last D'Estaing and Lincoln determined Describe 
on an assault, leading on their armies in three sauIt - 
columns of the French, and one of the Americans. 
D'Estaing, at the head of the first column, bran- 
dishing his sword, marched boldly on, but was soon 



320 REVOLUTIONARY WAR. Part II > 

itt 9 bonie wounded from the field. A deadly contest 
what is ensued, in the midst of which two hundred horse- 
puiLS/ men came galloping to the place, with Pulaski at 
their head — but he was soon mortally wounded. 
ofLau- 19. Onward next came the gallant Laurens, in 
the hot fire, regardless of danger. It is said, 
when he found his brave band routed and in con- 
fusion, that in despair he " flung away his sword, 
and with his noble soul wrung with bitterest an- 
guish, stretched forth his hands and prayed for 
death, and refused to stir till forced away by his 
companions." Near him was the beloved of all 
who knew him, the simple-hearted, self-denying 
p e f r? Jas " Jasper, grasping in death the standard presented to 
his regiment at Fort Moultrie. The British sus- 
wasthe tamed a slight loss, but more than • a thousand 

loss of ° 7 

both par- F rer)C hmen and Americans lay stretched on the 
field. D'Estaing,* anxious to embark for Europe 
before the autumnal storms, refused to stay longer, 
and Lincoln was obliged to retreat across the Sa- 
vannah into South Carolina. 
Describe 20. During the summer of this year, Gen. Sul- 
van-s ex- Hvan was successful in his expedition against the 

pediUon 1 ° 

theories Indians and tories under the command of Brandt, 
dials 111 * Butler, and others, who were implicated in the 
massacre at Wyoming. He boldly pursued them 
to the very heart of their country, and burned forty 
Indian villages, destroying in his route more than 
150 bushels of corn, and every vestige of their in- 

* The French fleet encountered severe storms on its return, 
and arrived at Brest in a very shattered condition. D'Estaing 
was one of the victims oi the guillotine during the French Rev- 
olution. 



Chap. IV. 



PAUL JONES. 



321 



dustry. After an absence of nearly two months he itT9 
returned to Pennsy vania, about the middle of 
October, having lost but forty men. The Indians 
were intimidated by this severe chastisement, 
and the frontier settlements enjoyed repose for a 
time. 

21. This year was signalized by the victories Forwha 

i • i , ■ c i i , was 1771 

achieved by our miant navy, under the command s Mff- 
of the intrepid Paul Jones. The French govern- 
ment aided our commissioners at Paris in fitting 
out a squadron of three frigates and twc smaller 
vessels, and Jones was the chosen commander. 
After capturing some vessels off the coast of Scot- whs* * 

1 & said of 

land, he fell in with a Baltic merchant fleet of 41 ilf s hia 
sail, under convoy of the British frigate Serapis, of fleet ' 
41 guns, and the Countess Scarborough, of 20 guns. 
The convoy immediately separated, but the two 
war frigates advanced to the battle with flowing 
sheets. The promontory of Flamborough, on the 
coast of England, about three miles distant, was 
covered with spectators. 

22. At the close of a beautiful September day, DesC nb« 
with the light of a full moon, the hostile vessels tie! bit " 
commenced their fire. The British having guns 

of superior metal, Jones ordered his ship to be 
lashed to that of the enemy. The action then 
became terrific — the muzzles of the enemy's guns 
touched theirs, and the gunners, in ramming their 
cartridges, often thrust their ramrods into the ene- 
my's ports. Pearson, the British commander, en- 
deavored repeatedly to cut the vessels loose. The 
details of this battle surpass any thing of the kind 

-ecorded in naval warfare. The " Bon Homme 

21 



322 



REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 



Part II 



17 79 Richard" of Jones was old and rotten, and by the 
Whatia incessant firing had become almost unmanageable, 
Jones' and soon, only three guns were effective. 
What 23. He then assailed the enemy with grenades, 
Se which set fire to the Serapis in several places. In 
the ves- the midst of the uproar a cry was heard that the 

sel was 1 m ^ 

beoi t0 B° n Homme Richard was sinking, and at the same 
^ awful moment the Alliance, another vessel of 
Jones' squadron coming up, and mistaking his ves- 
sel for the British, opened a broadside upon him. 
The water was pouring in in torrents, and in the 
confusion, a hundred English prisoners were re- 
leased, and Capt. Pearson hailed to know if the 
Sd at of colors were struck? Jones, undismayed when all 
jonea? arounc i despaired, was enraged at the various acci- 
dents, and in a voice of thunder told Pearson he 
would never strike his colors ! Immediately he 
ordered the hundred prisoners to the pumps, de- 
claring they should sink with the vessel, if they 
refused to work. It is beyond the power of de- 
scription to paint the frightful scene during these 
four hours. The Serapis, at length, as the fire 
rolled around her masts, struck her colors, and Jones 
was conqueror, 
what is 24. But the Bon Homme Richard was a shat- 

Baid of 

Homme tel " e d thing — riddled, and on fire in two places. 

Richard? j ones j s sa j ( j t0 h av e watched her with intense 
anxiety and a swelling heart, as he saw her last 
mast disappear, and finally the eddying waves close 
over her as she sunk with the three hundred vic- 
tims of that fearful contest. 

was the The value of his prizes during a short cruise of 

ralue of 1 

i£S three months, was estimated at more than a quar- 



Cliap. IV. CLOSE OF THE CAMPAIGN. 323 

ter of a million of dollars. Louis XVI. conferred 1779 
on him the Order of Merit, and Congress gave him Howwa a 
a vote of thanks, and presented him with a gold warded 

, . a tor his 

medal, to commemorate the victory. bravery* 

25. The campaign of 1779 ended without any 
decisive results. The main division of the army armvgo 
went into winter- quarters at Morristown, while ter-quL 

1 . ters? 

detachments were stationed at West Point and 
other posts on the Hudson. 

This campaign terminated in gloom. The j^ a J, e 
Americans, had a feeble army, reduced num.- our army 
bers, and an exhausted treasury, while Great Bri- time? 
tain w T as redoubling her energies, having bound- „. u ,., 

° W hat did 

less resources at command. Parliament agreed to 
send one hundred and twenty thousand men to do? 6 
America, and voted fifty millions of dollars for the 
support of the w r ar. Washington had not such 
resources at command — he saw with anguish a 
discontented, starving array on the verge of mutiny 
— Congress convulsed and weakened by dissensions whatdid 
— an inefficient allv in France, and, to use his OWn ineton 

. say of 

words, uttered in bitterness and grief, he declared OHr p™? 

' o 3 pects at 

that ' : friends and foes were combining to pull thistiinel 
down the fabric they had been raising at the ex- 
pense of so much time, blood, and treasure."* 



* Washington's Letters. 



324 



REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 



IT 80 

CHAPTER V. 

CAMPAIGN OF 1780. 

what 1. Disaffection to the American cause was daily 

was the J 

S)g f at increasing at the South, while the adherents of the 
Lud^y crown were becoming more numerous. The suc- 
>eopie e cessive defeats of the Americans during- a protracted 

•ong for ° 1 

peace? warj an( j the numberless miseries accompanying 
such a state of affairs, made the people long for 
whatdid peace. Savannah, the chief town in Georgia, was 
jd? ton in the hands of the British troops ; and Sir Henry 
Clinton, taking immediate advantage of the depar- 
ture of the French fleet, resolved to gain possession 
of the capital of South Carolina. Leaving the com- 
mand of the royal army to Gen. Knyphausen, he 
sailed from New York, on the 26th of Dec, 1779, 
with about 8,000 troops, and a large amount of 
military stores, 
describe 2. He had not proceeded far, when a violent 
>f e the* storm arose, in which the fleet was driven far from 
its course. A vessel was lost, containing all the 
heavy ordnance, and nearly all the artillery and 
cavalry horses perished. The troops, after a dan- 
gerous passage, effected a landing in the last of 
January, and began to repair their losses among 
the tory population, preparatory to the siege of 
Charleston. 

what is 3. Gen. Lincoln was at Charleston, doinsr every 

said Of > S J 

Lincoln? thing in his power to prepare for a bold defense. 
He had ^nly a small band, amounting to about 



SURRENDER OF CHARLESTON. 



325 



3.000 effective men and some armed citizens, to \i$q 
check the approach of 9,000 veteran troops. Clin- What ^ 
ton, with his well-fed and clothed arm v. might have the d of 



move- 



entered the town in a few hours, but he chose to mentsoi 

' Clinton? 

orotract his operations. 

4. After remaining a month on the islands south 
of the city, he crossed the Ashley river on the first 
of April, and began the siege in form, by the erec- 
tion of batteries within eight hundred yards of the ^ cnDe 



of redoubts, lines, (fee, stretching across the penin- [»J"2g 
sula from the Ashley to the Cooper river, on which JS^Se? 
were mounted eighty cannons and mortars. A nvers ' 
canal, filled with water, was in front of this, besides under 
two rows of abattis and a picketed ditch. These rapern 
defenses were constructed under the superintend- 
ence of the French engineer, Launay. 

5. On the 9th of April, Gen. Clinton sent a sum- what is 
mons to Gen. Lincoln, to surrender, which he thesie^e, 

and why 

promptly refused, and the siege went on for ten dldLln " 



sion 
were 
they con- 
structed} 



and why 
did Lin- 
coln sur- 

days, when a second summons was sent and re- render? 
jected. After a vain and desperate struggle, day 
after day, and night after night, amid the most 
alarming discouragements, shut up by sea and land 
— all provisions, save a little rice, exhausted — Lin- 
coln, at last, listened to the entreaties of the dis- 
tressed inhabitants, and capitulated. 

6. On the 12th of May, his entire army laid down wtet« 

■* ; •* said of 

theii arms, and South Carolina was given over to SltioS? 
the exulting troops of a rapacious and sanguinary 
foe. There was scarcely a soldier in Georgia or 
South Carolina, who was not either in arms for the 
crown or a prisoner on parole. The number that 



326 



REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 



1 7 so surrendered was about 6,000, including 1,000 Ameri^ 
can and French seamen. The artillery amounted 
to about 400 pieces. The loss during the siege, on 
each side, was nearly equal ; of the Americans, 254 
were killed or wounded ; of the British, 268. 
meas- ^' Clinton immediately endeavored to gain the 
ciinton d entire possession of the State, and dispatched three 
securV detachments to seize important posts. By these 

oosses- . 

si™ of the country bordering on the Santee was scoured, 
state? Georgetown and Ninety-six seized, while the infa- 
Describe nious Taiieton spread terror and death wherever 
Se?" he passed. When the helpless and dying sued for 

practised r \ * 

by Tarie- quarter, it was refused — whole bands of men, who, 
after fighting bravely, were obliged to surrender, 
asking quarter, were barbarously murdered. 
tTrms?/ 8. Feeling satisfied with the state of affairs in 
ty kept South Carolina, Sir Henrv Clinton embarked for 

iccord- 

jiromise ? New York, leaving Cornwallis with an army of 
4,000 men to complete the subjugation of the 
South. In a short time the terms of the treaty 
signed at the capitulation were openly and grossly 
violated, and the people, who, under honest and 
What kind treatment, would have quietly obeyed, arose 
ination indignantly at such treachery. Cornwallis had 
sued? issued a proclamation, stating, whoever would not 
take an active part in securing his majesty's gov- 
ernment, should be treated as rebels. Many suf- 
fered for a time, but the provocations becoming 
more insufferable, they formed themselves in small 
bands for partisan warfare. These, for a long time 
who spread desolation among the tories. Among the 

W6T6 1*16 

leaderaqr leaders of these bands, and foremost for bravery 

ine parti 7 ^ 

tolb eg? and integrity of purpose, were Marion and Sum« 



Chap. V. 



BATTLE OF CAMDEN. 



327 



ter. Many a tale of boldness is recorded of these n$ 
noble men, who, regardless of every thing like per- 
sonal emolument, thought only of their country, 
and liberty for their children.* 

9. These bands of patriots were without pay — 
they wore no uniform, and depended from day to 
day on chance for subsistence. Often they were 
destitute of ammunition, and were obliged to watch 

as their companions shot down the enemy, when them? 
they would instantly seize their muskets and car- 
tridges. Saw-mills furnished them broadswords, 
and the patriot women, with their own hands, 
brought oat their pewter dishes to be formed into 
bullets. At night, the cold earth, when they slept, 
was their resting-place, but frequently they marched 
during its live-long hours. 

10. While Sumter, Marion, and their com- Jjjj a? 
panions in suffering and toil, Colonels Cleveland, with Ma 
Campbell, Selby, Williams, and Sevier, with their 
equally brave men, were achieving a succession of 
gallant enterprises, a continental army, under Gen. 
Gates, who had superseded Gen. Lincoln in com- Seen, 

Gates? 

* A British officer had been sent from Georgetown to nego- 
tiate an exchange of prisoners, and was taken to Gen. Marion's 
tent. An interesting interview took place, during which the 
officer partook with Marion of an humble dinner of roasted sweet 
potatoes. He was so affected by Marion's sentiments and ar- ^ 
dent love for liberty, that on his return he resigned his commis- 
sion and retired from the service, declaring that it was useless 
to fight against such men. He had little dreamed of the priva- 
tions of our people, until he saw an American general and his 
officers, without pay, almost without clothes, dining on roots, 
and drinking nothing but water, and all these privations en- 
dured for liberty. 



non ? 
August. 



328 REVOLUTIONARY WAR. Part 11. 

1T8G niand, was approaching Camden, about 110 miles 

north-west from Charleston, 
whowas 11* The brave De Kalb was also with these 
Gates? troops, and had Gates listened to his prudent ad- 
vice, we have good reason to suppose much blood 
might have been spared. He had been advised by 
De Kalb to proceed by a southern route, where he 
could obtain an abundant supply of provisions ; but 
what is * n ras ^ naste ; which was afterward changed to in- 
*he d sSf- excusable tardiness, he took a straight road, lead- 
themenfing through a dreary pine barren, and many of his 
men died on the route of disease, fatigue, and hun- 
ger. At length, arrived near the enemy, his haste 

What is & & ' J} 

Gates° f seeme d suddenly to leave him, and he spent four 
days in skirmishing, while, in the mean time, during 
his dilatoriness, the enemy received reinforcements. 
Still the royal troops amounted only to two thou- 
sand, while the Americans numbered four thou- 
sand. 

what 12. At midnight, on the 11th of August, both ar- 
'he C night m i es ignorant of the other's approach, found them- 
uth^' selves almost in contact, and the gloom of night 
was illumined with flashes of musketry. Skir- 
mishes took place during the night, in which the 
whatad- British had the advantage. De Kalb again ven- 

vice did b to 

»eKaib tured to advise Gates, as he was hemmed in be- 

orrer 5 

Gates? tween two swamps, to change his position, but he 
madly refused, insinuating that De Kalb's advice 
what arose from fear. The day broke, and the engage- 
tiace in ment became general, but w T itb the first furious 

the iirst & ' 

mg£l charge of the British bayonets, the Virginia troops 
* ent? under Gates fled, while the confusion spread to the 
North Carolina militia. 



Chap. Y. 



BARON DE KALB. 



320 



13. All was disorder, save among- the brave men irso 
under De Kalb, who. at their head, in the hottest Whatis 
of the fight, for a time withstood the advancing bat- i^kSL 
talions. At last TarLeton with his dragoons at full men? 
gallop, came riding down De Kalh's men without 
mercy — there were no American cavalry to keep 
them in check. De Kalb,* the noble friend of Ame- 
rica, fell pierced with eleven wounds. His men, who 
loved bim devotedly, surrounded his wounded form, 
exclaiming in bitterness, "Save the Baron de Kalb ! 

save the Baron de Kalb !" wham 

14. De Kalb had a presentiment, that he would Sfd'of 

De Kalb 

foil in this battle, and had said, in replv to Gates' and 

' r J Gates? 

insinuations, "A few hours will prove who are the 
brave." These words were true. While De Kalb 
and his men were contending with the whole British 
army, Gates actually put spurs to his horse and fled 
with the utmost precipitation for eighty miles with- 
out stopping. His northern laurels had indeed 
turned to southern willowsj what 

15. The British lost five hundred in this ensrasre- |° ss ° ? » 

o ° the Brit- 

ment, but it is impossible to estimate the loss of the uhl 

* Individuals of both armies, struck with admiration at De 
Kalb's noble conduct, endeavored to shield his body, and some 
lost their own lives in the attempt. To a British officer, who 
tenderly watched the dying man, and endeavored with his aids 
to staunch the wounds, he said, " I tkank you for your generous 
sympathy, but I die the death I always prayed for — the death of a 
soldier fighting for the rights of man.''' His last moments wpre 
spent in dictating a letter to the brave men who supported, him 
daring the action, of whom he said, " He had no words that cmdd 
sufficiently express his love and admiration nf their valor " 

f Lee met Gates on his way to join the southern army, and 
as if in prophecy of what took place at Camden, said, " Beware, 
vour northerr laurels do no t turn tf > sou'hein willows " 



330 



REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 



Part II, 



11 so Americans, as no returns were made after the 
Why battle. 

British 16 Gates, with 150 men of his miserable army, re- 
n the treated to Hillsborough. There remained no army 

pursuit . . 

SuosT?" t0 °PP ose Cornwallis, and sickness, arising from the 
pestilential air of a southern summer, checked the 
British in their pursuit of conquest. 

Congress at last resolved to supersede Gates, and 

how ordered an examination of his conduct. He no 

were 

SSeTcu- l° n g er endeavored to supplant Washington. 

Cf d ihe In the northern States, hostilities were carried 
on by desultory operations, in which fifty houses in 
Springfield, a church and several houses at Con- 
necticut Farms were burned, and various other 
places destroyed. 

16. In proportion as misfortunes increased in 
every part of the United States, the oppressed people. 

here said seemed in this, the darkest hour of their struggle. 

of the . . ' 

Ameri- to have been animated with a renewed love for 

can 

Tvomen? [i[3 ei . tVi Even the females, who, under ordinary 
circumstances, would shrink from such scenes, came 
forward, in various ways assisting the sick and the 
dying, or procuring food for the starving. Deny- 
ing themselves cheerfully many of the necessaries 
of life, they joined, heart and hand, in this glorious 
cause. Many of the ladies of Charleston displayed 

whatdid much zeal in the cause of their country, and gloried 

do to as- in the appellation of rebel ladies. 

slst the rr 

£meri- \j France determined to assist the Americans 
still farther; and, persuaded by Lafayette, who 
had returned for a short time to his native country, 
they dispatched, on the 10th of July, Admiral de 
Ternay, who arriver 1 at Rhode Island, with a squad- 



Chap. V. MISFORTUNES INCREASE. 331 

ron of 7 sail of the line, 10 frigates and armed ves- nso 
sels, besides 6,000 men under the command of the 
brave and experienced Count de Rochambeau. But 
before these generous allies had time to act, they 
were blockaded at Rhode Island by Admiral Ar- 
buthnot, with 10 sail of the line. 

18. This was a deep disappointment to the Ameri- what 
cans, but a deeper one was in store for them. They ing& 

' 1 " could the 

could brave all the horrors of war, the rigors of win- ^f™'. 
ter, scantily clad, and nearly starved — endure the Shout 
absence from home and all its endearments, with mmh 
few murmurs and with manly hearts— but a shudder 
of indignation and a heart-sickness overcame them 
when the treason of Arnold was brought to light, JJhatfe 

19. Arnold a traitor I — Arnold, loaded with thereon' 
praises of a grateful country, a traitor ! Saratoga's imoil a 
bloody field, and many others, came to their remem- 
brance, and with hearts aching with mingled pity 

and shame, they again, in consternation, asked, Is 
Arnold a traitor ? He who had been among the 
first to widen the breach between the mother coun- 
try and the colonies — Arnold, with a maimed body, 
wounded in fighting valiantly for liberty, a traitor ! 
From one end of the Union to the other, the news 
flew like lightning ; and even little children ran with 
trembling steps and whitened lips, borrowing anxiety 
from their parents, lisping, Arnold a traitor ! 

20. As a warning to youth, we dwell on the 
painful story — doubly painful, because we cannot 
forget all that he bravely suffered in the early 
struggles of our nation. what is 

After the evacuation of Philadelphia by the Arnold 

1 J while in 

British, in 1778, Arnold was stationed there as g de ' 



was the 
conse- 
quence ? 



332 REVOLUTIONARY WAR. Part II 

i?80 military governor; his wounds at Saratoga, for a 
time, prevented his engaging in active duty. While 
in Philadelphia, he selected a wife from one of the 
disaffected or tory families. His wife is supposed 
to have been instrumental in weakening his attach- 
ment to his country. He hired a splendid mansion 
furnished it in the most sumptuous style, and 
having expended most of his private fortune in the 

By what war, he found difficulty in meeting his expenses. 

did he Rather than retrench his extravagances, he resort- 
procure ° 7 

Sndwhat ea * to dishonest means to procure money, and by a 
system of fraud and deceit succeeded in appropri- 
ating public treasure to his private use. At length 
he was arraigned before a court martial, and rep- 
rimanded with all possible delicacy by Wash- 
ington, who was ever indulgent and forgiving to 
Arnold. 

in what 21. But he had determined to retrieve his for- 

miamous 

he ati d as d t tunes, and gratify his passion for revenge under 
engage? wron g S inflicted, and in an evil hour, he consented 
to barter away the liberties for which he had once 
so nobly fought. He was too proud to become a 
deserter, and gold he must have in some way. At 
last, he opened a correspondence with Sir Henry 
Clinton, and speedily after that, the infamous work 
proceeded. He had procured from Washington the 
EdoSr command of the fortress at West Point* which, 

West 

Point? for its strength, had been called the Gibraltar of 
America. It was more important than any other 
post, as it commanded the whole extent of country 
from New York to Canada, and secured a commu- 



* In the vaults of one of the forts was lodged the ammunition 
<or its own defense, and the stock of powder for uhewhoJe army 



Chap. V. ARNOLD TURNS TRAITOR. 333 

nication between the eastern and southern States, n g 
For 30,000 pounds sterling and the rank of briga- 
dier-general in the British army, Arnold at last 
agreed to betray his country, and place West Point 
in Sir Henry Clinton's possession. 

22. Taking advantage of the absence of the with 
vigilant Washing-ton, who had gone to Hartford to did he 

o o 7 o confer on 

meet Count Rochambeau, he resolved to finish je C 3 u sub " 
quickly the foul deed, and for that purpose held a 
conference with Major Andre,* the adjutant-gen- 
eral of the British army. All his plans were laid 
before Andre, and it was agreed to surrender the 
forts on the 25th. At a given signal from Arnold, 
the British transports were to sail up the Hudson, 
and land their troops, who, by manoeuvring, were 
to obtain possession of West Point. All American 
children are familiar with the story ; but perhaps 
they have not recognized the hand of Providence 
in thwarting the plans of Andre and Arnold. 

23. Sir Henry Clinton had enjoined it on Andre J™ An- 
not to leave the sloop-of-war Vulture, in which he £3 sin- 
came up, and it was his own determination not to fhwS- 

ed? 

land ; but here, in the first place, his plans were 
thwarted. Again he was disappointed in his ina- 
bility to return by water, as the Vulture, on account 
of the firing from an American vessel, had moved 
down the river ; then in the stubborn refusal of 
the man who brought him ashore, to take him 
back the next day — his unaccountable determina- 
tion to change his route after parting- with his foterpo- 

° r O sition of 

guide — his confusion and loss of presence of mind r ^° d b ' 8 n - 



* Andre, in Philadelphia, was a warm friend of Arnold's wifn, 
and was favorably treated by Arnold. 



334 



REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 



1780 when arrested on the road by the three* Ameri 
cans— are miraculous links in a chain of providen 
tial events, in which an interposing hand is plainly 
visible. 

24. Andre was examined before a court martial 

What is 

ApdnS at Tappan, and, agreeably to the law and usage of 
Scu" d nations, was condemned as a spy to suffer death. 

Washington and his officers would gladly have 
saved the life of the accomplished and excellent 
Andre, but necessity required the rigorous enforce- 
ment of the punishment. He wrote a most pa- 
thetic appeal to Washington, that he might be 
shot, as a more honorable death ; but this could 
not be granted according to the strict rules of war. 

25. He was treated with the utmost kindness by 
Washington, who daily supplied him with food 
from his own table ; and Andre acknowledged all 
the civilities he received, and throughout his tr°l 
manifested those elevated sensibilities which indi 
cate greatness of soul. Andre was universally 
lamented both by the British and the Americans, 
and the spot of his sufferings and interment was 
consecrated by the tears of thousands.f 

* The captors of Andre were named John Paulding, David 
Williams, and Isaac Van Wart. Arnold's dispatches, plans, 
&c, found in Andre's boots, were evidences of his being a spy. 
He offered them his horse, watch, purse, and large rewards trom 
the British government, if they would let him go. Although 
they were poor men, they were not to be bribed, and steadily re- 
fused — declaring that ten thousand guineas, or any other sum, 
would be no temptation. 

f Much has been said by friends and foes on the death of An- 
dre, while the death of the excellent Hale, under more painful cir- 
cumstances, seems almost forgotten even by his own countrymen. 

In 1776, when the British, by the retreat of Washington, were 



Chap. V. 



DISGRACK OF ARNOLD, 



335 



26. Arnold escaped detection and death; but his 17 so 
fate was more tragical than that of Andre. Doom- whatvs 
ed to perpetual banishment from his native land. oFa^ 10 
branded as the only traitor in America, and scorn- 
ed by those to whom he bartered himself, he drag- 
ged out a miserable existence, constantly stung 
with remorse ; and wherever he moved, he heard in 
burning words whispered. " Arnold, the traitor .'"* 

Sensible of the gracious interposition of Provi- wbywaj 
dence, and grateful for another signal evidence of thanks- 

70 o giving 

His superintending care, a day of public thanksgiv- |g p ^ inl 
ing was appointed on the 2d of November, through- Vwki 
out the State of New York. 

left in possession of Long Island, it became necessary to obtain 
information of the strength and future movements of the enemy. 
Hale, animated by an ardent love for his country, volunteered 
to undertake this hazardous enterprise. He passed in disguise 
to Long Island, examined every pail of the Bluish army, and 
obtained much valuable information. On his return he was 
apprehended, and carried before Sir William Howe. Being 
convicted, he frankly acknowledged who he was and what were 
his views. The next morning he was executed in the most un- 
feeling manner. He desired the attendance of a clergyman ; 
this was refused. He asked for a Bible j this was also denied. 
Letters which, on the morning of his execution, he wrote to his 
mother, were destroyed, " that the rebels should not know they 
had a man in their army who could die with so much firmness." 

His last words were — " I lament, I have but one life to lose for 
my country. " 

" To the memory of Andre magnificent monuments have been 
erected by his country, and the highest honors and liberal re- 
wards bestowed on his family. To the memory of Hale not a stone 
has been erected, nor an inscription to preserve Ms ashes from insult." 

* The contempt that followed Arnold through life, is illus- 
trated on an occasion when Lord Surrey, since Duke of Norfolk, 
rising to speak in the House of Commons, perceiving Arnold 
in the gallery, sat down with precipitation, exclaiming, " I will 
not speak while that man," pointing to him, " is in the hou^e." 



336 



REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 



Part II. 



1T8O 27. Toward the close of the year, Holland de- 
What dared herself the open enemy of Great Britain 
eient lns and a friend to America. This event revived the 
Siftime' drooping spirits of the Americans, and they began, 
in the darkened future, to see dawnings of a 
brighter day. Congress listened to Washington's 
appeal for more troops, and orders were issued for 
enlistments during the war. It was resolved that 
all officers should have half-pay for life. 

The two armies went into winter-quarters in 
nearly the same position occupied by them in 1779. 



CHAPTER VI. 

CAMPAIGN OF 1781. 

What is 1. At no period during the war were the prospects 
mmclt °f tne Americans more gloomy than at the com- 
pennsyi- mencement of 1781. On the first of January, 1,300 
[roopsin Pennsylvania troops, rendered desperate by their 
sufferings, and contending, that they were detained 
beyond their time of service, declared their inten- 
tion to march in a body to Philadelphia, and de- 
mand redress for all their grievances. They mu- 
tinied, because their sufferings were intolerable, and 
to show that they were still firm friends to their 
country, they cheerfully returned to duty when their 
sTSenry grievances were only in part redressed. Sir Henry 
E° n Clinton offered them remuneration, if they would 
join his forces, but they indignantly scorned his 



Chap. VI. 



ROBERT MORRIS. 



337 



offers, and delivered over the emissaries sent from n&i 
Lis camp to Wayne, who executed them as spies. 

2. A similar mutiny was undertaken by the New W hatis 
Jersey troops, and as this state of th ngs became the d xew 
alarming, Washington determined to punish them troops? 
severely, as a warning to others. Two of the ring- 
leaders were shot by the most guilty of the muti- 
neers. This was a most painful task; being cul- How 
prits themselves, they were greatly distressed, and t h^ e 
when ordered to load, many of them shed tears. It ed? 13 * 1 * 
was important that the spirit of revolt should be 
effectually repressed, or the ruin of the army was 
inevitable. " what ef. 

forts 

3. Congress now felt, that the sufferings of the to 
troops were indeed pitiable, and unprecedented monayz 
efforts were made to raise money and supply the 
wants .of the army. Taxes were imposed, and 
cheerfully accfuiesced in. A commissioner was sent 

to Europe to negotiate loans of money, and a large 
amount of gold and silver was introduced by a bene- 
ficial trade with the Spanish West India Islands. 
During the year, the Bank of North America, the Whatls 
oldest moneyed institution in the United States, was g5j*5 
established by a charter from Congress, under the MornsJ 
supervision of Robert Morris. To this distinguished 
patriot the army was greatly indebted, for he used 
his own ample private fortune and his personal 
credit, without hesitation, to sustain the govern- 255J."" 
ment. The issuing of paper money was now dis- wafsuii. 
continued, and the old continental bills ceased to cir- by the 

people ? 

culate. Two hundred millions of paper dollars 
were made redeemable by five millions of silver, 
and this, with every other arrangement, was sub- 

22 



338 



REVOLUTIONARY WAR. Part IX . 



did the 
British 
carry on 
hostili- 
ties? 



1781 mitted to without murmur, in the hope of a happier 
future. 

w-here 4. The British enlarged their plan of operations, 
and hostilities raged not only around their head- 
quarters, at New York, but in Georgia, North and 
South Carolina, Virginia, and Connecticut. In the 
latter places, the traitor, Arnold, became notoriou 
what for his plundering achievements as an incendiary 
b y a A d r- ne ana " robber. Even in his native State, in the very 
nold? spot of his boyhood's home, he rested not in his 
work of destruction. 

5. The British, encouraged by their good fortune 
in the reduction of Savannah and Charleston, de- 
termined to advance into North Carolina. After 
who the unfortunate battle of Camden, Congress thought 

succeed- ' ° to 

ed Gates? proper to appoint Gen. Greene as successor to Gen. 
Gates. Washington spoke in high terms of com- 
mendation of Gen. Greene, but added, what can a 
general do, without men, without arms, without 
clothes, stores, or provisions ? The southern army 

what is was at this time reduced to two thousand men, more 

the state than half of whom were militia. Although Gen. 

army? Green e's men were scantily clad, half-starved, and 
dispirited, destitute of arms and ammunition, the 
officers under his command were as brave men as 
ever followed a leader. Morgan, Lee, Marion, Sum- 
ter, and Col. Washington, formed a group to which 
the British army could furnish no parallel. 

Why wa§ 6. In order to procure subsistence for his army 

Jetalh- as well as to distract and harass the enemy, Gen. 

* d? Greene was constrained to divide his army, by dis- 
patching Gen. Morgan to the western frontier of 
South Carolina. Morgan soon found employment. 



Chap. VI. 



BATTLE OF COWPENS. 



339 



Lord Cornwallis had made preparations for invad- 
ing North Carolina, and was unwilling to leave an 
enemy in the rear. He therefore sent Tarleton, at What or 
the head of 1,100 men to dislodge him, and "push TaAetor 
him to the utmost." They met at Cowpens, on the receive 
L/th January, and after one of the severest conflicts what is 
witnessed in the war, Ta.ieton was defeated with {j h e e of " at ' 
(he loss of 300 men, killed and wounded, besides %™s\ 
500 prisoners, his artillery, and baggage. The 
Americans had only 12 killed and 60 wounded. 
The defeat of Tarleton was mortifying to himself, the d<? 

J & ' feat of 

and a surprise to Cornwallis ; and the loss of the Tarietom 
light infantry crippled his movements during the 
campaign. 

The battle of Cowpens, it has been, justly re- 
marked, proved, in the end, nearly as disastrous to 
Cornwallis as that of Bennington did to Burgoyne. 

7. Cornwallis now determined to take the field JJJ**, 
in person, and, by vigorous exertion, he expected was 1 
soon to subdue the whole country south of Vir- S»mwa? 
ginia. 

On the 19th of January, having destroyed all his 
superfluous baggage and all the wagons, except a 
few for necessary purposes, he commenced his re- 
markable pursuit of Morgan, who had moved off to 
Virginia with his prisoners. He marched with such 
rapidity that he reached the Catawba the evening 
of the same day on which Morgan had crossed. 
Cornwallis, not doubting his ability to overtake the gjgjg; 
adversary, halted for the night ; but, before morn- {jfeTo* 
ing, the rain fell in torrents, the river was im- cataw* 6 

. . ba? 

passable without boats, and these, the Americans 
had carefully removed to the other side. 



340 



REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 



tisi 8. The swelling of the river was regarded by the 
Howwa3 latter as a gracious interposition of God, as by it, the 
swelling enemy were delayed about two days. During this 
"ardet?" tnxie 5 Gen. Greene hearing of Morgan's victory, and 
Ameri- afterward of the rapid pursuit by Cornwallis, or- 
caml dered the remainder of his troops to march to their 
relief, while he, himself, with only two or three at- 
tendants, after a ride of 150 miles, arrived in Mor- 
gan's camp on the 31st of January. 
Describe 9- To understand the ground over which this re- 
ground markable retreat was performed, it is necessary only 
thlTre- to gl ance at a map. Three large rivers rise in the 
made was north-west parts of North and South Carolina, and 
flow in a southerly course. The most southern is 
the Catawba. Greene and Morgan were now across 
the Catawba, approaching the Yadkin, which they 
passed on the evening of Feb. 2d, partly by fording, 
and partly by flats and boats, which were secured 
SuSed* on the other side. Here, again, it happened as at 
sage Jt s the Catawba — the swelling of the river presented a 

the Yad- ° r 

^ barrier to obstruct the enemy. This second inter- 
position in their behalf inspired them with fresh en- 
thusiasm in that cause which seemed to be the pe- 
culiar care of God. 

10. Cornwallis still determined to pursue, but the 

What is r _ ' 

the toifs Americans toiled on, day after day, and night after 
Amen- night, without a murmur, although many of them 
can8 were only allowed three hours' sleep out of twenty- 
four, and but one meal a day. Pressing on through 
the wintry storm, most of them bare-foot, and with 
only one blanket for four men at night, drenched 
by the rains, and chilled by the vater through which 



Chap. VI. BATTLE OF GUILFORD COURT-HOUSE. 341 



they waded, they were obliged to dry their clothes n$i 
by the heat of their own bodies. 

11. Cornwallis determined to pursue still, hoping whywa3 
to overtake the Americans before they reached Vir- hs orn de- a1 ' 
ginia; but, arriving at the Dan, which separates the Dan? 
North Carolina from Virginia, he found the Ameri- 
cans had already passed, and a third time his army 

was* delayed ; the boats had been taken over and 

the liver was unfordable. So clear an interposition th? s w rl- as 

of Providence was this, that the whole country p"*? 

J Ameri- 

regarded it as a special mark of favor to the Amer- cans? 
ican cause, and their hearts were cheered, as they 
thought of the future. So firm was their belief in 
this, that, although enduring severe sufferings dur- 
ing a retreat of more than 200 miles, not a single 
man deserted. 

12. As soon as Greene had rested, he recrossed 

the Dan with an army of about 4,500 men, and Sf e s bat bi 
on the 15th of March reached Guilford Court-house. Guilford 

Court- 
It was a lonely spot, not another house being in house - 

sight, and a boundless forest on every side. On 

the day of Greene's arrival, Cornwallis attacked 

him. The battle was desperately fought for two 

hours, and all the advantages of victory were on what 

the side of the Americans. They lost about 400 loss on e 

J both 

in killed and wounded ; the British nearly 600. sides? 
Notwithstanding Cornwallis claimed the victory, 
he retreated, closely pursued by Gen. Greene. 

13. Cornwallis avoided a battle, and retreated to WhIther 
Wilmington, where, after remaining three weeks, i-iEjSi 
he left the State and proceeded to Petersburgh, in 
Virginia. 

Gen. Greene moved toward South Carolina, to 



REVOLUTIONARY WAR. Part X1 



fie/i dtf^ the British from their posts. At Hobkirk's 
«rhau7 near Camden, the Americans were attacked 
■hee^ oy /?ine hundred men, under Lord Rawdon. In 
/Job- 8 * the beginning of the action, victory inclined toward 
* im? the Americans, but they were at last compelled to 

retreat. Each army sustained an equal loss, 
what 14. During April and May, several British post 
jn a the fell into the hands of the Americans. Marion an^ 

osnds of 

Ameri- Lee invested Fort Washington on the 15th of 
cans? April. Though provided with muskets and rifles 
only, they were successful, and one hundred and 
fourteen men surrendered, after a resistance of eight 
days. In rapid succession post after post surrender- 
ed to small bodies of troops, led on by Marion, 
Sumter, Lee, and Pickens. On the 3d of June, 
the British were confined to three posts, Ninety-six, 
Eutaw Springs, and Charleston. 
8ept-8. 15. Lord Rawdon now resigned his command to 
what is Col. Stewart, and soon after returned to England. 
the d bat- In the beginning of September, Col. Stewart took 
ja e w fEu ? post at Eutaw Springs, about 50 miles from 
Charleston. Greene, being joined by Marion, re- 
solved to attack them at once. The contest lasted 
nearly four hours, and great bravery was exhibited 
on both sides. The British were driven in confu- 
sion from the field, with the loss of eleven hundred 
men in killed, wounded, and prisoners. The Amer- 
icans lost over five hundred, of whom sixty were 
officers. 

16. The battle of Eutaw Springs was the las* 
general action in South Carolina ; the British 
abandoning the open country, retired to Charles- 
ton. 



CORNWALLIS AT YORKTOWN. 



343 



Comwallis left North Carolina in April, and i?8i 
arrived at Petersburgh, in Virginia, on the 20th of Whatis 
May. Having received several reinforcements, cornwai- 
and formed a junction with the forces under Arnold nisarmyj 
and Phillips, he flattered himself he should soon Whywas 
subjugate this section of the country. Lafayette ettfdis- 
had been dispatched with a small detachment from to yir- d 
the main army to watch the motions of the British. * 
They were unable to hinder the enemy from de- 
stroying much valuable property * 

17. Cornwallis soon after fortified himself at ^ifthe 
Yorktown, on the south side of York river. Glou- m thl r 
cester Point, opposite Yorktown, was occupied by Virginia? 
Tarleton. The British force in Virginia, at this 
time, was about seven thousand men. 

Washington had made active preparations to July6 - 
form a junction with the French army, for the pur- Why dl(l 
pose of making a combined attack on New York. Son" 
A letter was received from Count de Grasse, in- hu pfen 

' of attack 

forming Washington that he was about to leave 'JgJ? 1 * 
France with his whole fleet and about three thou- 
sand two hundred land troops, for the Chesapeake. 
Washington immediately resolved to proceed to Ju]yl9 
Virginia. 

18. This movement met with the cordial co-oper- what 
ation of De Rochambeau, who was eager for a ac «?m- 

1 ~ pained 

decisive action. They took with them the whole JJJ^' to 
French army, and as many Americans as could be Virguufj 
spared from the posts on the Hudson. A show 

* It was estimated that in the course of the invasion of Corn- 
wallis, Arnold, Phillips, Leslie, and Collier, about 30,000 slaves 
were carried off from Virg nia, and property destroyed to the 
amour* of $15,000,000. 



344 



REVOLUTIONARY WAR. Par< u 



nsi of an intention to attack New York was still main- 
tained, and so completely was Sir Henry Clinton 
deceived, that it was not until the whole army had 
crossed the Delaware, that he suspected the real 
object of the Americans. Clinton hoped still to 
draw off a part of their troops, and perhaps cause 
Washington to return. 

19. For this purpose he sent Arnold on a plun- 
dering expedition to Connecticut ; but this manoeu- 
vre did not effect its object. Washington and De 
. Rochambeau pressed forward with the utmost 

Whai in- r 

Jjjjj; e alacrity. At Chester, their spirits were greatly 

ttoemat cheered, by the intelligence of the arrival of Admi- 
' ral de Grasse, who, with a large fleet, blockaded 

dS 1 the tne Chesapeake, an d prevented the escape of the 
British by water. On the 25th of September, the 

town 1 '? combined troops reached Lafayette's head-quarters 
at Williamsburgh,* and on the 30th they marched 
in a body to invest Yorktown and Gloucester. 

what 20. The allied army consisted of about sixteen 

was the ^ 

of"the r thousand troops. As the British force did not 
£p S ? amount to half that number, Cornwallis would 
probably have abandoned Yorktown before its 
investment, had he not confidently expected rein- 
forcements from Clinton. 
r3ct R A close siege was commenced, and carried on 
vigorously by the combined forces. During the 
S at f s siege, which lasted 17 days, two redoubts were 
arVorlf- 6 stormed simultaneously — one by a party of light 
infantry, headed by Lafayette and Col. Hamilton : 



* So complete was the discipline of this army, that during theii 
march of 500 miles, scarcely an apple or peach was taken with 
out the consent of the inhabitants. 



SURRENDER OF CORNWALLIS. 



345 



the other by a detachment of French grenadiers, nsi 
under De Viomenil. " 

21. Finding his situation a desperate one, and What 
farther resistance of no avail, Cornwallis was comwai- 

lis 

obliged to surrender his whole army, amounting to obliged 
seven thousand. The British lost nearly six hun- 
dred killed ; the Americans three hundred. On 
the 19th of October, the articles of capitulation 0n whafc 
were signed, and Gen. Lincoln was selected by dicThe 
Washington to receive the sword of Cornwallis, on der? tn * 
the same terms which the latter had, eighteen 
months before, received Lincoln's submission, at 
Charleston. 

22. About 12 o'clock the combined army was Describe 

. . , . , . , . , the scene 

drawn up in two lines, extend inff more than a mile of the 

1 ' ~ capilula- 

in length, the Americans on the right side of the road, tlon - 
with Washington at their head, and the French on 
the left, headed by Count Rochambeau A con- 
coarse of spectators assembled from the country, 
in numbers equal to the military. Every face 
beamed joy, but universal silence prevailed. About 
two o'clock the captive army advanced between 
the lines, with slow step, shouldered arms, and 
colors cased. Cornwallis, vexed and mortified, was 
unable to endure the humiliation of marching 
at the head of his garrison, and made Gen. O'Hara 
his substitute. Tarleton's troops, at Gloucester, 
surrendered at the same time to the command of 
the French general, De Choise. 

23. The amount of artillery and military stores what 

amount 

captured was very considerable — 75 brass and 169 ofmiiita- 

J J ry stores 

iron cannon, 7,794 muskets, 28 standards, and 2,113 ^f en? 
pounds sterling taken from the military chest. 



346 



REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 



Part II. 



1?81 Lord Cornwallis and his officers, after their capitu- 
latiot , received many civilities from Washington* 
and other general officers, for which they returned 
grateful acknowledgements, 
what 24. The surrender of Cornwallis sent a thrill of 
pined joy through the country, and was the most decisive 
^7f n " event in our glorious war. The territory of the 
thirteen States was now restored to the jurisdiction 
of Congress, and the contest decided in favor of 
America. When intelligence of this brilliant suc- 

How was ° 

news re- cess was received by Congress, the aged doorkeeper 
ITcL- fell down and expired through excess of joy. Gen. 
sreiS Washington ordered divine service to be performed 
in the different brigades of the army, and the Mem- 
bers of Congress marched in procession to church, 
and there publicly offered up thanksgiving to God 
for the signal success of the American arms. 
ZocL A proclamation was issued for religiously 

was is- observing throughout the United States the 13th 
of December as a day of thanksgiving and prayer. 
The many instances in which God's interposing 
wa h s a pub nan d was clearly seen were recounted. They pub- 
arme'r? licly affirmed that " it was God, whose voice com- 
mands the winds, the seas, and the seasons, who 
formed a junction at the same time between a for- 
midable fleet from the South, and an army rushing 
from the North like an impetuous torrent. Who 
but He could so combine the circumstances which 

* On one occasion, while in the presence of Gen. Washing 
ton, Lord Cornwallis was standing with his head uncovered,, 
his excellency said to him ] jlitely, " My lord, you had better be 
covered from the cold." His lordship, applying his hand to his 
head, replied, " It matters not, sir, wtiat becomes of this Jiead now." 



Chap. VI. 



CLOSE OF THE WAR. 



347 



led to success? 'The unparalleled perseverance ns2 
of the armies of the United States through almost 
every possible suffering and discouragement, for the 
space of eight long years,' Washington declared to 
be 1 little short of a startling miracle.' " It. has been 
estimated that the loss of life during the war, in the 
United States armies, was not less than seventy 
thousand. The number who died on board the 
prison ships of the enemy cannot be calculated. 
No less than eleven thousand died on board the 
Jersey prison-ship ! These facts, with the whole 
story of our American revolution, should be handed 
down to posterity, that they may know the high 
price their fathers paid for freedom. 

26. The people of Great Britain became clamor- whatdiii 
ous for peace, and, at last, after much hesitation Britain 

r ' ' ' _ fina.ly 

and discussion on the part of the British Govern- l^ nc ^i e 
ment, they concluded to abandon the attempt to 
subjugate the United States. 

Much firmness and wisdom were shown by what is 

J said of 

Messrs. Jay, Franklin, Adams, and Laurens, our ^ r ss ^™ 
Commissioners, and through their negotiations, the W nen nd 
preliminary articles of peace were settled at Paris, ^;£ er t e he 
on the 30th of November, 1782, and in September, gf£ of 
1783, a formal treaty was signed. By this treaty 8igned, 
Great Britain acknowledged the independence and ira 
sovereignty of the United States. 

27. Thus the Americans obtained a high reward 

for their toils, and a sanctuary sacred to civil and i 
religious liberty, was opened in the western hemi- 

i What Is 

sphere. said of 

mi • i i*i ii ,n e con- 

I he patriot army was now to be disbanded. Jmon of 

1 ' J the army 

Once more, fathers and husbands were free to re- 



348 REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 



Part II 



1183 turn to their own fire-sides, but they must go in ex- 
treme poverty. Many of them had not received 
What any compensation for five years. Anonymous let- 
were 3 ters were circulated tending to inflame their minds 
promote and induce them to insist on a forcible redress of 

their dis- 

and'how grievances. Washington soothed them by kind 
their words and promises, and in his farewell address 
chaS? appealed to the nobler sentiments of the heart. On 
the 3d of November, still glowing with patriotism, 
they separated, resolved to endure all necessary 
Whe „ Privations. 

British 28. On the 25th November the British evacuated 
SySS New York. 

when Ou the 4th of Dec, Washington, with a heart full 
wish- of love and gratitude, bade his officers adieu. It was a 
iefve of deeply affecting scene, and men, who had braved the 
cers*? 8 ' horrors of many a battle, now, as they approached 
Describe Washington, Were melted to tears, and incapable 
scene. f utterance. 

whatdid Washington then proceeded to Annapolis, the 
thin do i seat °f Congress, to resign his commission as 

commander-in-chief of the armies of the United 

States. 

what 29. At the close of the war, the debt of the United 

was the ' 

of n the on States was estimated at forty millions of dollars. 

aTthe They were not able to pay the interest, and many 

close of • i i ^ i i i 

the war? incurred great losses. Congress had not the power 

to provide means for discharging debts, incurred 

during the war. During this disorganized state of 

the general government, attempts were made in 

some of the States to satisfy their creditors. The 

what of attempt of Massachusetts to effect this by levying a 

Sdhon? heavy tax produced an insurrection among the peo- 



CONSTITUTION ADOPTED. 



349 



pie, usually styled Shays' insurrection, from the i-j-g T 
leader of the insurgents, Daniel Shays. 

30. In May, 1787, deputies from each of the When 
States, except Rhode Island, assembled atPhiladel- where 
phia, for the purpose of forming" a new constitution, new con 

r r p ° stitution 

After four months' deliberation, they presented the ad °p te <i? 
Constitution to the several States, and finally it was 
adopted. 

The blessings of civil and religious liberty are what 
guarantied to the people, and one of its chief excel- • t ° m f e ° f 
lences is, that it contains a provision for future tures? 
amendments. The executive power is vested in a 
President and Vice President, and the legislative 
in a Senate and House of Representatives, all chosen 
by the people. 

31. The same Providence that granted victory wi-ataw 

• ii i i ■ tlie con " 

to our fathers in the hour of battle, gave them wis- eluding 

' ° remarks 

dor», in a day of peace, to devise means of secur- 
ing to their children the independence they had 
won. May their posterity, to the latest generation, 
daily look to the Giver of every good and perfect gift 
for wisdom, that they may enjoy the blessings of a 
free and happy people ; whose God is the Lord. 



1189 



When 
and 
where 
was 
Wash- 
ington 



GEN. GEORGE WASHINGTON. 

PART III. 

FROM THE FORMATION OF THE FEDERAL CONSTI 
TUTION TO THE CLOSE OF THE HISTORY. 

CHAPTER I. 

ADMINISTRATION OF WASHINGTON, 

FROM 1789 TO 1797. 

HE name of George Washing- 
ton calls up many thrilling 
emotions in the mind of every 
American citizen. He was the 
third son of Augustine Wash- 
ington, born on the 22d of Feb- 
ruaiy, 1732, near the banks of 
the Potomac, in Westmoreland county, Virginia. 




Chap. I. 



GEORGE WASHINGTON. 



351 



2. His father, in 1730, married, for his second it 89 
wife, Miss Mary Ball, by whom he had four sons, what is 
George, John, Samuel, and Charles, and one daugh- jus ami 
ter, Betty. His great grandfather, John Washing- 
ton, emigrated from the north of England about 

the year 1657, and settled on the place where Wash- 
ington was bom. 

3. At the age of ten he lost his father. His mother what is 

° _ said of 

now became his sole guardian, and early instilled *| ch . 
into his mind those principles of religion and virtue Sf ° 
which formed the solid basis of a character that 
has been the admiration of statesmen and philoso- 
phers wherever the name of the American republic 
is known. It was the teaching of that sainted 
mother, which prepared his mind for those scenes 
of strife and turmoil, through which he had to pass, 
and which made him a fit instrument in the hands 
of Providence, for sundering the chains of slavery, 
and guiding his country over the stormy sea of war 
into the harbor of peace and liberty. He was re- For what 

L J was he 

markable, in his younger years, for his strict ad- b e le T ka " 
herence to truth, and for the fond affection which 
he bore to his mother. 

4. Stimulated by the enthusiasm of military ge- what 
nius, at the early age of fifteen, he had obtained a edfnlm 

. 7 J O ? from en 

midshipman's warrant to enter the English navy. ^elng. 
His trunk was already in the boat, but as he went v?i " a " 
to give his mother a parting kiss, he saw the tears 
roll down her cheeks ; he ordered his trunk back, 
and determined not to go. Four years after, he was whatof 
appointed adjutant-general of Virginia, with the fftime 8 
rank of major. From that time, his historv is the election 

J ' J to the 

history of his country. General Washington's elec- E y . 



352 



Washington's administration. p a rtin. 



i 7 89 tion to the office of chief magistrate of the United 
States, was announced to him at Mount Vernon, on 
the 14th of April, 1789. 
when 5. On the 30th of April, he appeared be/ore Con- 
where gress, then assembled in the City of New York, 

was he ° 1 J ' 

mtedT anc * ta -king the required oath of office, was pro 

claimed President of the United States, 
whatdid I n an impressive address to both Houses, he 

he say in 



his ad- 

dre; 



expressed a sense of his own unfitness for the high 
thatoc" office to which he had been called. He declined all 

casion ? 

pecuniary compensation for his presidential duties, 
and concluded by invoking the blessing of that Al- 
mighty Being who rules over the universe, praying 
that He would consecrate to the liberties and hap- 
piness of the people of the United States, a govern- 
ment instituted by themselves, and that He would 

whatdid bless all engaged in its administration. 

gressdo 6. After the address, both Houses adjourned, and, 

after the ' 

address? w \th the President, attended divine worship. They 
felt that God had carried them through a long and 
arduous war, and to Him they must still look for 

in what support and protection. 

was Con- 1 1 1 

prind- Congress was principally employed, during its 
gaged 811 ' first session, in providing revenues for the exhausted 
thJ'tifst treasury, and in establishing and arranging" the 

session? J ' ° & b 

different public offices. Three executive depart- 
Howma- me nts were organized to assist the president in 
ments carrying out the plans of government. These were a 
ganized, secretary of state, of the treasury, and of the war 

and who J ' J ' 

points" department — the offices to he filled by appointment 
u> each? £ t j le president Thomas Jefferson was appointed 
or what to the state department, Hamilton to the treasury, 
judiciary and Knox to the war. 

insist 7 



Gimp. I. 



FIRST CONGRESS. 



353 



7. A national judiciary was constituted, consist- n& 9 
ing of a supreme court, having one chief justice 

and several assoo ate judges. John Jay was ap- 
pointed chief justice, and Edward Randolph attor- 
ney-general. How 
Several amendments to the Constitution were amend 

ments to 

proposed, and subsequently ratified by the States, Stu^n 
making it acceptable to all. North Carolina and receivedl 
Rhode Island, shortly after, adopted the Constitu- 
tion, forming the thirteen original States. Howwas 

. ... areve- 

8. To provide a revenue, duties were laid on the im- m, f p r °- 

i 7 vided ? 

portation of merchandise and the tonnage of vessels. 

The second session of Congress commenced Jan. 1790. 
8th, 1790. Mr. Hamilton, Secretary of the Treas- 

J What 

ury, proposed that government should not only as- g™f^ 
sume its own foreign and domestic debts, amount- upcom- 
ing' to more than fifty-four millions of dollars, but mentof 

& J ' thenex' 

also that which several States contracted during sessiqn 
the war, estimated at twenty-five millions. 

9. The plan of Mr. Hamilton was finally adopted, what 
To cancel these several debts, the proceeds of pub- adopted 9 

' A * to cancel 

lie lands, lying in the western territory, were di- JJ}^ 
rected to be applied, and the president was author- debts? 
ized to contract a loan of two millions of dollars. 

10. This measure laid the foundation for that whatdid 
unrivaled prosperity, which the United States en- f™ sme 
joyed in subsequent years. 

On the 18th day of February, 1791, Yermont, by im - 
consent of Congress, became one of the United When 
States, and on the 1st of June, in the succeeding" Vermont 

and Keir 

year, Kentucky, then part of Virginia, was also ad- ^j*y ad 
mitted into the Union. 



the next 
session 
of Con- 
gress ? 



11. In thi: year, a bill for the establishment of a 
23 



354 Washington's administration. F . ti3 it> , 

j 791 national bank was introduced into Congress, which 
what passed after a strong debate. The bank was to be 
terftbiii situated at Philadelphia, the capital stock to be ten 



thisyear, millions of dollars, two millions to be subscribed foi 

and what 

Jov1- its tne Dene fit of tne United States, and the residue by 
what' individuals. This year the first census of the in- 
po a p U £- e habitants of the United States was taken. They 
united amounted to 3,921,326. 

States at 7 7 . 

time? While matters of high importance were occu- 

whowas py m g tne attention, and party strife was filling the 
dispatch- counc j} s of Congress with agitation, an Indian war 



the ,n ki- broke out upon the north-western frontier. Pacific 

dians, 1 

how^m* overtures being rejected, General Harmer was dis- 
ny men? patched against the Indians with an army of 1400 
was a the men. Having burnt a number of Indian villages, 

result? ! 

1790 he was finally defeated in two successive battles, 
r ° near Chilicothe, in Ohio. 

.vhom ' 

com- the 13. Additional troops were raised, and the corn- 
then mand of the whole given to Gen. St. Clair. With 
md what 2,000 men, he marched, in October, into the wii- 

success ' . ' ' ' 

Se 1 ? 6 derness. On the 3d of November, he was surprised 
W1 i79i. m camp, near the Miami, and defeated with great 
thifde- slighter, leaving nearly 600 men dead on the field. 
Sd wh0 14. After the defeat of St. Clair, Gen. Wayne 
ma^d, was appointed to carry on the war. On the 20th 

:ind how 1 1 J 

Sceed? °f August, 1794, with an army of 3,000 men, he 
met the Indians near the rapids of Maumee, and 
completely routed them, and laid waste their coun- 
try. In 1795 a treaty was completed at Grenville, 
which gave peace to the inhabitants. 

In the autumn of 1792 Gen. Washington was re- 
elected president, and inducted into office in March, 
1793. Mr. Adams was re-elected vice president. 



TREATY WITH ENGLAND. 



355 



15. About this time the revolution, which had for 1793 
some time convulsed France, resulted in the fall of 

the monarchy, and the establishment of a republi- 
can government on its ruins. 

16. M. Genet, the minister of the new govern- when 
ment, arrived at Charleston in April of this year. French 

ill /•!•'• ministei 

Our citizens, grateful for the kindness of his nation, arn . v e> 

' o ' and how 

received him with the most extravagant marks of Zlliied; 
public attachment. Flattered by these demonstra- 
tions of regard, he fitted out privateers from our Kin-" 1 

. . . deavor 

ports to cruise against the enemies of f ranee, and todo? 
sought to embark the American people in the cause 
of his country, whatever might be the determina- 
tion of government. As he persisted in his en- 
deavors, in opposition to the remonstrances of the Whywa8 
administration, France, at the request of the presi- EaUedt 
dent, annulled his powers, and he was succeeded 
in the following year by M. Fauchet. 

17. About this time, a war was apprehended be- 17 ^. 
tween the United States and England. The Ameri- ^' r w a p 8 . 
cans were accused of preventing loyalists from re- ed eh be- d * 
gaining possession of their estates, and the English j^and 
of making illegal seizures of American property at £^11™ 
sea, and of holding possession of military posts, on tlme? 
the western frontiers. Mr. Jay was sent to Eng-^ 19 ' 
land, where he concluded a treaty with the British Z & EnS nt 
government. In the spring of 1795 he returned. Stiata 

18. His treaty, which was adopted by the gov- 1795 
eminent, provided that the western posts be surren- June, 
dered to the United States ; compensation be made JJJfu,, 
for illegal captures of American property, and Brit- fions of 
ish creditors were to be secured the means of col - treaty 
lecting debts, contracted prior to the revolution. 



356 



WASHINGTON'S ADMINISTRATION. 



Part III. 



1T9T Treaties were also made with the western In- 
with dians, with Algiers, and with Spain. By the latter, 
the Mississippi was made the western boundary, 
were but a right to its navigation, and the use of New 

treaties & ' 

fato? ed Orleans, as a place of deposit, secured to the United 
States. 

warren 19. In June, 1796, Tennessee was admitted into 
admitted the Union. As the period for a new election of 

into the 1 

union? president of the United States drew near, Washing- 
vJfh- dl ton signified to the nation his determination of re- 
ret!?e w tirm g mt0 private life. He longed for that repose 
fife a a t f fhe in the seclusion of Mount Vernon, far from the 
feta cares of public life, to which, for so many years, he 

had been a stranger. 
wh , a V is 20. His farewell address, on his retiring from the 
presidential chair, breathed the warmest affection 
for his country. He besought them to frown indig- 
nantly on any attempt at the separation of the Union, 
to discard local attachments and sectional animosi- 
ties. The candidates for the office of president were 
John Adams and Thomas Jefferson. The result 



said of 
his fare 
well ad 



Who 
were the 

dltes'Vor was tne choice of Mr. Adams as president, and Mr. 
denTand Jefferson as vice president. Mr. Adams was inaug- 
ejected? 8 urated on the 4th of March, 1797. Washington 
retired to Mount Vernon, there to spend in rest and 

How ' r 

w£ S h d quiet the remainder of his life ; but that life which 
■Rafter had been devoted to his country was drawing near 
T t\om n8 its close. Only two years of repose were allowed 

mm, when he was taken away to that eternal rest 

prepared for the good. 

21. Riding out one day, on horseback, to visit his 
he con-" 3 f avm j ne was overtaken by a storm, which chilled 
disease? him through. A cold followed, which, settling in 



DEATH OP "WASHINGTON. 



357 



his throat, hurried him rapidly to the grave. The ^99 
efforts of his physicians to arrest the disease were 
powerless, and it was soon evident to all, that his Describa 
hours were drawing to a close. His breathing J^ " 
became laborious, yet he bore all with Christian 
resignation. " I die hard" said he, 11 but I am not 
afraid to die. I believed, from the first, that I could 

. • n ir 1 1 1 i 1 „ 01 What if 

not survive it. My breath cannot last long." borne 
hours before his death, after repeated efforts to be hour8? 
understood, he succeeded in expressing a desire 
that he might be permitted to die without interrup- 
tion. 

22. He sunk gradually away, and on the night 

of the 14th of December, 1799, two days after his Wha ti ? 
attack, he ceased to breathe. Not in the delirium the d mia- 
of fight, upon the battle field, did his soul take its de£,th * 
flight, but calmly departed amid the lamentations 
of a heart-broken people. 

23. Solemn ceremonies attended the funeral, and 
thousands followed the slow procession, but the what 
mourners were not all there — they were scattered effecfft 
on every hill and along every valley of the land. [j^Jf 
Minute guns were fired, as his body was borne to 

the place of burial, and his old war-horse, saddled 
and bridled, walked riderless beside the coffin. 
That noble steed he could mount no more, and 
to that cold cheek, the loud-pealing cannon could 
never again send the blood, as of yore. His work 
was done, his fierce battles over, and, crowned with 
the noblest laurels ever worn by created brow, the 
more than kingly sleeper was laid in his last 
resting-place. The land was hung in crape, and 
one convulsive sob shook the heart of the nation. 



358 



ADAMS' ADMINISTRATION. 



Part III 



tT99 No people ever mourned a leader so, and no leader 

what did was ever worthy such sorrow. Even the young 
5o a on e republic of France, then wading in blood, put on 
the intei- crape, and imposing ceremonies were iecreed in his 

licence? ' 1 i o 

honor by the young Napoleon. 

24. I would speak of his many noble acts, but his 

what whole life was noble. Criticism was baffled, Slan- 
tue the 



marks ? 



d?n g cl re- der struck dumb, and even emulation rebuked in his 
presence. I would speak of his boyhood — but he 
was one of those great minds, that never had a boy- 
hood. Morally and intellectually, he was a man from 
his youth up. Can it be that Washington is dead ? 
No ! 

" The woods are peopled with his fame ; 
His memory wraps me dusky mountain, 
His spirit sparkles o'er the fountain ; 
The meanest rill, the mightiest river, 
Roll mingling with his name for ever I" 



CHAPTER II. 

ADAMS' ADMINISTRATION. 

PROM MARCH 4TH, 1797, TO MARCH 4TH, 1801. 

when 1. John Adams was born at Q,uincy, in Massa- 
wSflc chusetts, on the 19th of October, 1735. He was the 
b£n? son of John Adams, and the fourth in descent from 
Henry Adams, who fled from persecution in England, 
what is In 1755, he graduated at Harvard College, and 

said of r i i , . - 

his early f our years afterward commenced the practice of 

studies, J i 

femify? Aaw m Braintree. In 1764, he married the daugh- 



Chap. II. FRENCH RESOLUTIONS. 



359 



ter of Rev. ¥m. Smith, of Weymouth, by whom 1797. 
he had four children, one of whom, the Hon. 
John Quincy Adams, also became President of 
the United States. He early manifested a strong 
interest in the welfare of the colonies. 

2. He was a delegate to the first general Con- Give th« 

i^i leading 

gress, and was re-elected to the second. On the events 

o 5 lnhislile 

6th of May, 1776, he introduced a resolution into SLSm, 
Congress, which was in fact a declaration of inde- Sent 681 " 
pendence. Near the close of the war he was ap- 
pointed minister to England, and succeeded in 
negotiating a peace. He then returned to his 
country, and was elected for two successive terms 
;o the office of vice president, when he left that 
shair to fill the presidential. 

3. Shortly after the commencement of Mr. J^g^ 
Adams' administration, the French Directory, dis- t"™ e 
pleased with the strict neutrality which this coun- France 

r ... about 

try had observed during its war with England, Jjjj^, 
and also on account of the treaty of peace, which 
had been recently entered into between England 
and the United States, adopted resolutions highly 
injurious to the American commerce, and refused 
to receive Mr. Pinckney, the American minister, un- 
til the United States complied with their demands. 

4. On the receipt of this intelligence the Presi- wiuu 

1 O nrnr.i:i- 



dent issued his proclamation to convene Congress did the ^ 



proc 
mat Ion 



presider £ 



on the 15th of June. In his speech on that occa- make 
sion, he stated the unprovoked insult of the French 



What 
steps 



government, yet still manifested a desire for peace. Sen to 
Three envoys were accordingly sent to France, but about a 

J ° J 1 peace? 

the French Directory refused to receive them, and How did 
ordered two of them to leave the country e& u * 



360 



AD^MS ADMINISTRATION. Part 111. 



17 9^ 5. During these transactions, open war continued 
how was to °e made by the cruisers of France on Ameii-' 
re-did can commerce, the flag of the United States being 
France* considered a sufficient justification for the capture 

1798 - of any vessel over which it waved. Congress at 
congresf length, after these repeated insults and injuries, 
resoivl th determined to place the country in a state of de- 

io do? r J 

fense. General Washington was appointed com- 
mander-in-chief of the land forces, the capture of 
French vessels was authorized, and all treaties with 
France declared void. 

6. The French government witnessing these 
preparations for war, signified to the President their 
willingness to accommodate difficulties on reasona- 
1799. ble terms. Three envoys were accordingly ap- 
pointed, who proceeded to Paris ; but on their 
arrival there, they found the government in the 
hands of Bonaparte. With him they commenced 
negotiations, Avhich terminated in a treaty of peace. 
Sept. 30th, 1800. 
J^ en 7. On the 14th of December, Gen. Washington 
breathed his last at Mount Yernon, in Virginia. 
On the arrival of the news of his death at Phila- 
delphia, Congress immediately adjourned. On the 
following day it was resolved, " that the President be 
*top>? requested to write a letter of condolence to Mrs. 
Washington ; that a monument be erected by the 
United States, at the city of Washington, and that 
it be recommended to the citizens of the United 
States to wear crape on the left arm for thirty days." 
These resolutions passed unanimously, and the 
whole nation appeared in mourning. The funeral 
procession at the city of Washington was grand 



Wash- 
ington 
die? 



What 
resolu- 
tion did 
Congress 



Chap. II. 



ADAMS' RETIREMENT. 



361 



What 
occurred 
in 1800? 



and solemn, and the eloquent oration delivered by isoo 
Gen. Henry Lee, was listened to with the deepest 
interest. 

8 In the summer of 1800. the seat of government 1800 
was removed to the city of Washington, and in the 
same year the western portion of Georgia was 
erected into a district government, and called the 
Mississippi Territory. 

9. On the return of the period for the presidential who 

1 1 were tha 

election, the nation was divided into two great po- f^- {0T 
iitical parties, the republican and the federal. The at e *the nt 
federalists supported Mr. Adams and Gen. Pinck- election i 
ney ; the republicans Mr. Jefferson and Col. Burr. 
After a warmly contested election, the republican 
candidates obtained a majority ; but, as Mr. Jeffer- 
son and Col. Burr received the same number of 
votes, the choice of president devolved on the 
House of Representatives. After thirty-five trials, Wh0WM 
during which the nation felt the most intense solici- electeth 
tude, Mr. Jefferson was chosen. Col. Burr, by a 
provision of the Constitution, became, of course, 
vice president. 

10. Mr. Adams retired from the arena of public w .hatia 

1 said of 

life to the quiet of his home in Quincy. Efe lived [^ sillg 
long enough to see his son raised to the high- Sflvir. 
est office in the gift of a free people, and during 
his administration died. The 4th of July, 1826, 
the day on which he breathed his last, completed 
half a century since he had set his name to that 
Declaration, which was to bring peace to his coun- 
try or a halter to his own neck. Only two, besides 
himself, of that band of heroes then lived. Being re- 
quested, a few days before his death, to give a toast 



362 Jefferson's administration. p ar txii. 

isoi f° r tne 4th of July, he gave "Independence foi 
ever." 

Describe 11. As the morning was ushered in by the ring 
aeath. i n g of bells and the pealing of cannon, he was 
asked if he knew what day it was. " Oh yes," 
said he, " it is the glorious fourth of July. God 
bless it, God bless you all." His last words were, 
" Jefferson survives ;" and at about one o'clock his 
spirit took its flight. He was a man of strong 
powers of mind, and an ardent lover of liberty. In 
early life he devoted himself to the cause of his coun- 
try, and his declining years were cheered with a 
view of that country's happiness and prosperity. 



CHAPTER III. 

JEFFERSON'S ADMINISTRATION. 

FROM MARCH 4TH, 1301, TO MARCH 4TH, 1809. 

1. Thomas Jefferson was born on the 2d day of 
April, .1743, at Shadwell, in Albemarle county, Vir- 
ginia. He was educated at the college of William 
and Mary, in Williamsburgh. At the age of 
twenty-one he was admitted to the bar, and in the 
following year chosen a representative to the pro- 
vincial legislature. From early youth his mind was 

\\ r hat is o J J 

hfccaSy imbued with liberal political sentiments. On one 
meats of his seals he had engraved, " Resistance to ty- 
rants is obedience to God." 

2 On the 21st of June, 1775, Mr. Jefferson took 



OFFICIAL CAREER OF JEFFERSON. 



363 



his seat in the general Congress, then in session at isoi 
Philadelphia, and immediately became one of its what is 
most distinguished members. In the following Jefferso« 

° . . & in the 

summer, the various expressions of public sentiment s e o n n eral 
showed, that the time had arrived for a final and f^f' 
entire separation from Great Britain. Mr. Adams 
and Mr. Jefferson were appointed to draft a declara- were aP 

pointed 

tion to that effect. The Declaration of Independ- ^, r a a r J. a 
ence, at the urgent solicitation of Mr. Adams, was IrXpen 
prepared by Mr. Jefferson, and so faultless was it dence? 
found, when it came from his hands, that, with one whose 

' ' ' declara- 

or two alterations, it was adopted on the 4th of Jjjg,,™^ 
July, 1776. 

3. In June, 1779, he was elected governor of Vir- JSScar- 
ginia, and re-elected the next year. In 1783. he Mr es j e (" 

B J ' ferson 

was again elected delegate to Congress from Vir-fiu? 
ginia, and, in the following year, appointed, in con- 
nection with Mr. Adams and Dr. Franklin, minister 
plenipotentiary, for the purpose of negotiating trea- 
ties. Returning to the United States in 1782, he 
was appointed secretary of state by General Wash- 
ington. At the next presidential election, he was Wha t 
elected vice president, and on the succeeding- one, wa a s nge 

• i r i tt • i <n ~' made m 

president oi the United States. the P ri 5: 

*ii n T T cipal offi 

4. At the commencement of Mr. Jeffersons's ad- ces of 

govern- 
ment at 
the com- 
mence- 



this ad- 
ministra 
tion? 



ministration, the principal offices of government 
were transferred to the republican party, and many ment of 
unpopular acts, passed during the previous aJ mini 
tration, repealed. when 
5. In 1802, the State of Ohio was admitted into Emitted 

m the 

the Union. Slavery was entirely excluded from Union? 
this extensive region. In the same vear Spain ^e at 13 

i i t • ■ J r said of 

ceded Louisiana to France, and the Spanish intend- J™* 



364 



Jefferson's administration. Part 



1802 ant announced to the United States that they could 
no longer deposit their merchandise, &c, in the 
port of New Orleans. Great was the excitement 
throughout the western States on this violation., 
of a solemn engagement. They apprehended a de- 
struction of their commerce, and advised a resort to 
arms. But a more pacific course was adopted, and 
in 1803 the whole territory of Louisiana was pur 
chased of France for $15,000,000. 

1804. 

what 6. In 1804 Gen. Alexander Hamilton was killed 

Bad event . 

fai804? d m a ^ueL fought with Aaron Burr, Vice President 

who of the United States. His death caused a deep sen- 
were r 

president sation among both his personal and political friends. 

presi™ 6 In the fall of this year Jefferson was re-elected pres- 
ident, and George Clinton, of New York, was chosen 
vice president. 

what is 7. Since 1801, a war had existed between the 

said of ' 

Tripoli? United States and Tripoli, one of the Barbary pow- 
ers. These powers were nations of professed 
pirates, respecting no flag, capturing vessels of 
every nation, excepting those which paid to them 
an annual tribute. This tribute had long been 
paid by the United States, with many other nations, 
but, at length, the American republic determined to 
resist, and declared war against Tripoli. 

8. In 1803, a squadron, under Commodore Preble, 
was sent to the Mediterranean to bring the corsairs 
9ct ' 31 " to submission. Capt. Bainbridge, in the Philadel- 
were phia, joined Com. Preble ; but, in chasing a cruiser 
^*T S n. into the harbor of Tripoli, grounded his vessel, and 
pontans? j ie an( j crew were taken prisoners. The officers 
what were treated as prisoners of war, but the crew 

success ? 1 

chained and compelled to labor as slaves. 



Chap. III. 



"WAR WITH TRIPOLI. 



365 



9. The Tripolitans, soon after, got the Philadel- iso4 
phia afloat, and warped her into the outer harbor. 
In this situation, Lieut, (afterward Commodore) 1804 . 
Decatur conceived the daring plan of setting her Fe b. 3. 



on flie. Choosing twenty men, and a pilot, who what 
understood the Tripolitan language, he approached f ™£™ 
the Philadelphia under the cover of evening, and, fj e J[ 
at the first onset, swept the deck of every Tripoli- Decalun 
tan, set the ship on fire, and, under a heavy can- 
nonade from the surrounding vessels and batteries, 
escaped out of the harbor without the loss of a sin- 
gle man. 

10. In consequence of the burning- of the Phila- howwu 

.... thls re - 
delphia, the sufferings of the Americans in Tripoli 

were greatly increased. To compel the Bashaw to £j£? h 

release them, the government authorized Capt. JJ° f ^ 

William Eaton to unite with Hamet, an expelled SsSls 

bashaw, to assist him to regain his former station, matter 3 ? 

11. With a small force, consisting of seamen 1S05 - 
from the American squadron, the followers of Ha- What 
met, and some Egyptian troops, Gen. Eaton and bj a Gen ne 
Hamet, with incredible toil and suffering, passed andoth- 
the desert of Barca, and took possession of Derne, 

the capital of a large province belonging to Tripoli. 
The success of Eaton struck the reigning bashaw effect 
with terror. Trembling for his fate, he offered duced by 

his suc- 

terms of peace, which were accepted by Mr. Lear, <* sa * 
the authorized agent of the United States. 

12. For a time, Col. Burr, notwithstanding his In what 
brilliant talents, had sunk into merited obscurity ; cTwa'f' 
but his ever-scheming mind was constantly in ac- deteS 
tion, and, in 1806, he was detected in a conspiracy, woe. 
the design of which was to form, in the valley of 



366 JEFFERSON S ADMINISTRATION. Part II J 

1806 tne Mississippi, a separate government, of which 
he should be the ruler, and New Orleans the capi- 
tal ; or, to invade the rich Spanish provinces of 
Mexico, and found an empire there. In 1807, he 
was arrested and brought to trial on the charge of 
treason ; but for want of sufficient evidence was ac- 
quitted. 

waa a the 13. Europe at this time was convulsed with war. 
Europe The nations, which had combined against the 
time? French republic, now trembled before the victorious 
troops of Bonaparte. France was a nation of sol- 
diers, and on land, the flight of her eagle was ever 
toward victory. But on the sea, the fleets of Eng- 
land rode in triumph. 
May ie. 14. England, anxious to injure as much as pos- 
How did sible France, her enemy and rival, declared several 

England ' J ' 

tofnTui P orts under her control to be in a state of block- 
France? ac j e> American vessels attempting to enter those 
\ov 21 P orts were captured and condemned. France in 
letaliation, declared the British islands in a state 
France id °f blockade, and authorized the capture of neutral 
retaliate? vesse i s attempting to trade with those islands. Both 
what. is of these decrees by which the commerce of the 
these de- United States suffered severely, were contrary to 

creesj J 7 J 

the laws of nations, and highly insulting to neutral 
powers. 

StVad 15- England, to man her numerous fleet, had 
Kiong been compelled to resort to impressment. For a 
claimed? i on g time, she had claimed the authority of search- 
ing American vessels for British seamen, and in 
this way, frequently carried off American citizens, 
and compelled them to perform the degrading duties 
of the English navy. 



Chap. III. COMMF.KCIAL DIFFICULTIES. 367 

16. In June, the frigate Chesapeake, while near the igo7 
coast of the United States, was fired on by an Eng- Describe 
lish snip ; and three of her men killed and eighteen tack on 
wounded. Being unprepared for action, she struck chesa- 
ner colors, and was then boarded and four of her 
men carried off on the pretence, that they were 
British seamen. It was afterwards proved, that 
three of them were American citizens. 

17. This insult to the nation was followed by a 
proclamation of the President, prohibiting British wwis-^ 
ships of war from entering the harbors of the United d enf/ esi ' 
States. He also summoned Congress to meet, and 
decide what measures should be adopted. Instruc- 
tions were given to the minister in London to 
demand satisfaction for the insult. 

18. In November, England issued a decree pro- JSfwS 
hibiting all neutrals from trading with France or England? 
her allies, except on the degrading conditions of 

l mi ■ o v i • e Whatdid 

paying a tax to her. This was followed in a few gjjg- 
weeks by a decree from Bonaparte, which declared tnen do? 
that any neutral vessel, which should submit to be 
visited by a British ship, or pay the tribute on enter- 
ing any of her ports, should be confiscated. Thus 
almost every American ship sailing the ocean was 
liable to be captured. 

19. Congress, to retaliate on France and Eng- Dec 22. 
land, decreed an embargo ; but this being ruinous 

' ° ' . ■ How did 

to our commerce, was repealed in 1809 ; but com- ?°£f™ t f 



mercial intercourse between France and England France 
interdicted. Thus was our nation standing on the fandf"' 
verge of war, when Jefferson's administration closed. 
At the next election, James Madison was chosen whow 

' chose . 

president, and George Clinton, vice president. 



368 



madison's administration. 



Part III. 



180T 20. Mr. Jefferson on the 3d of March, 1809, at 
the age of sixty-five closed his political career, and 
what is retired to the quiet of his home at Monticello. Here 
Mrfjef he lived until the time of his death, enjoying the 
last days? love and respect of his country. At the age of 
eighty-three years, on the 4th of July, 1826, he 
expired without a murmur or a groan. 
What It is a singular fact, that Adams and Jefferson, 
coinci- ar two men, who had stood by their country in its 
to"k e darkest hours, and side by side had placed their 

place? ' J r 

names upon the Declaration of Independence, should 

both have died upon that day. 
Whatis 21. Mr. Jefferson was gentlemanly in his appear 
^r d .ei- ance an d intercourse with others. Possessed of 
fersoi? j^i nc [ feelings and extensive information, he was a 

Goliah in debate, and the interesting and amusing 

companion in the social circle. 



CHAPTER IV. 

MADISON'S ADMINISTRATION, 

FROM MARCH 4TH, 1809, TO MARCH 4TH, 1817. 

L James Madison was born on the 5th of March, 
L751, at the dwelling of his grandfather, in Port 
Royal, Virginia. In 1771, he completed his colle- 
giate education at Princeton College, New Jersey ; 
but continued a course of miscellaneous reading for 
a number of years afterward. After having filled 
3everal important offices in his own State, in 1779 



Chap. IV. 



INDICATIONS OF WAR. 



369 



he was elected to the Congress of \he revolution, isio 
From this time to his election to the presidency, we 
find him in Congress and in the different conven- 
tions for drafting and amending the constitutions, 
where he had ample room for the display of his 
talents. 

2. Shortly after the commencement of Mr. Madi- 
son's administration, a treaty was concluded with 
the English minister, which engaged, on the part 
of Great Britain, that the orders in council, so far 
as they affected the United States, should be with- 
drawn. Acting on this arrangement, he imme- 
diately issued his proclamation renewing commer- 
cial intercourse with England; but when the British 
government disavowed the acts of her minister, 
the act of non-intercourse with England was re- 
vived. 

3. In 1810 France repealed her decrees, and on JJJjg^ 
the 2d of November the President issued a procla- pj*^ 
mation, allowing unrestrained intercourse with that ml8l0? 
nation. Great Britain, determined to persist in her 
hostile plans, had stationed men of war before the whatdii 
principal harbors in the United States, to impress J"} 8 * 11 
seamen from our merchant vessels, and insult our 
national flag. 

4. In one instance, however, their insolence was 
deservedly punished. Com. Rogers, sailing in the m% 
frigate President, met in the evening, near the coast May is. 
of Virginia, the British sloop of war Little Belt, and how 

, r ' wasthea 

hailed her. A shot was the only reply. The fire j^; iB 
was instantly returned by the Commodore, and ™n» 
continued until the enemy's gun? were silenced. Ed" 18 * 1 
24 * 



370 



madison's administration. Par1 



1811 Thirty-two of the English were killed, and the brig 

much shattered, 
what 5. While these events were indicating a war with 
transpi- England, others of no less interest were transpiring 

ring on • 

the west- on our western frontiers. 1 ecumseh, a celebra- 

ern fron- ' 

* lers? ted chieftain of great eloquence, and Ol-li-wa-chi-ca, 

h'.s twin brother, generally called the Prophet, were 

whataf stirring up the different Indian tribes against the 

Beh and whites. Tecumseh, bv his eloquence, and the PrO- 
Ws bro- . . ' J i i • , 

tner? phet, by his cunning, at length obtained complete 
ascendency over the minds of the Indians, and 
united them in a mm compact against the United 
States. 

whowa3 6. Gov. Harrison, of the Indian territory, was di- 
Sainst rected to march against them with a small force, 
dfoiM? n " to reduce them to submission. On the 6th of No- 
whatoc vemDer 5 ne encamped at Tippecanoe, where he met 
hisari 00 messengers from Tecumseh, who agreed that hos- 
TippLa- tilities should be deferred until the following day. 
noe Harrison, however, fearing the treachery of the In- 
what dians, drew up his men in battle array, and ordered 

precau- 71 •' * 

Harnlon them to repose on their arms. The result proved 
lake? that this precaution saved the troops from complete 
Describe destruction ; for, just before the break of da)', the 
dmn at- savages, with their fearful war-whoop, rushed upon 
them. An obstinate and bloody fight ensued, which 
ended in the complete rout of the Indians, with 
great slaughter on both sides. 

7. Such was the state of our affairs, at this time, 
with Great Britain, that provisions were made to 
coSrels increase the army to thirty-five thousand men, and 
mtei to enlarge the navy. The President was author- 
ized to borrow eleven millions of dollars, and the 



Chap. V. WAR WITH ENGLAND. 371 

duties on imported goods were doubled. On the ^siz 
19th of July, 1812, war was formally declared 
against Great Britain. 



CHAPTER V. 

CAMPAIGN OF 1812. 

1. America was again to enter into a contest with , 

° What is 

that nation whose haughty power she had once America 
humbled on the ocean-wave and on land, and with com- 
stronff hand had torn her liberties from its iron mem of 

° this wan 

grasp. The situation of the country, at the com- 
mencement of the two wars, was entirely different. 
In 1775, the Americans were a warlike people, but 
their military ardor had cooled, and they had be 
come enervated by a peace of forty years. But lit- 
tie difficulty, however, was experienced in rousing |J}p™J; 
the people to action. Henry Dearborn, one of the SSfi 
surviving officers of the revolution, was appointed 
commander-in-chief of the American army. 

2. The plan of the campaign was to invade Can- J2fJi e 
ada from Detroit and Michigan, and the armies from ficao* 
these places were to be joined on the way, by the force Pdlsn? 
stationed at Plattsburgh, and all to proceed to Mon- 
treal. The army destined for Detroit was placed 
under the command of Gen. Hull, the governor of 
Michigan territory. 

3. On the 12th of July, with 2,000 regulars and 
volunteers, Gen. Hull crossed the river at Detroit, widen* 
and encamped at Sandwich, with the object of huh?"" 



372 



madison's administration. 



isi% marching on the British post at Maiden, a.ad from 
What thence proceeding to Montreal. On the same day, 
mation he addressed a proclamation to the Canadians, as- 
wed? suring them, in ? lofty tone, that his force was suf- 
ficient to break down all opposition, and offered to 
them the blessings of civil and religious liberty 
„ rv t . But Hull was more fond of words than of action. 

What is 

Hu1i? f anQ * instead of pressing on, and striking a powerful 
blow, which would have insured him success, he 
wasted nearly a month, in ruinous delay. 

what in- 4. In the mean time, Maiden had been reinforced, 

tion was and, at this critical moment, information was re- 
brought 7 7 
to Huii? ce i ve d ? that Mackinaw, an American post above 

Detroit, had surrendered to the British and Indians, 

who were rushing down the river in numbers suffi- 

what cient to crush the American forces. Gen. Hull, 

Sent "did panic-struck, in spite of the entreaties of his officers, 

make? and the indignation of his troops, hastened back to 

Detroit. 

Who 5. Gen. Brock, the commander at Maiden, pursued 
hZ? ed him, with a large force, composed of militia and In- 
dians, and stationed himself opposite Detroit. On 
the 15th of August, he sent a summons to Hull to 
svm l m surrender, threatening him, that if he did not, he 
f e r nd k to would let loose the Indians upon Detroit. On the 
Hull? following morning Brock crossed to Spring Wells, 

and moved toward Detroit, 
what^ 6. While the American troops, drawn up in or- 
eventoc- der of battle, in numbers superior to the combined 
Detroit? f crce f t ne British and Indians, were anxiously 
waiting to commence the fight, they were suddenly 
ordered within the fort, and a white flag hung from 
the walls, in token of submission. This shameful 



Chap. V. 



NAVAL VICTORIES. 



373 



surrender, in which an important post and a vast \si% 
amount of ammunition passed into the hands of the To 
English, excited the rage and mortification not only was this 
of the officers and troops, but of the whole nation, der dis- 

17 # pleasing? 

Hull was afterward tried before a court martial, con- 

icted of cowardice, and sentenced to death. On ac- ^the 
count of his age, he was pardoned by the Presi- Hull's of 
dent, but his name was stricken from the rolls of the 
army. 

7. On the 13th of October, Gen. Yan Rensselaer, Wha ) 

1 ' was done 

at the head of a part of the forces stationed at Lew- van 36 "" 

iston, composed principally of New- York militia, £ on 

ii. t > i . ^ the 15th 

crossed the river and made an attack upon (Queens- g^ 010 ' 

town. During the battle, Van Rensselaer was 

wounded, and Gen. Brock killed. The English 

receiving a reinforcement of one thousand men, _ 

O ' Who 

while a portion of the militia on the American Srs? 

shore refused to cross, the republican army was 

obliged to surrender. While our armv was suf- said of 
- . - , the Suc- 

re ring from these many successive disasters, on f™ s of 

the ocean, the American flag, after many a well- tmsm 

contested fight waved in triumph over the red flag Sean? 

of England 

8. On the 19th of August, three days after the 
shameful surrender of Detroit, a series of splendid 
naval victories was commenced by Capt. Isaac 

J r What is 

Hull, of the United States frigate Constitution, who, s *§ v f 
after an obstinate fight, captured the British frigate vlctoryt 
Guerriere, commanded by Capt. Dacres. The loss 
of the Constitution was seven killed, and seven 
wounded ; that of the Guerriere was fifteen killed 
and sixty-three wounded ; among the latter was 
Capt. Dacres. On the 13th of August, the United 



374 XLA-Uiavix a aumii\ioin,Aiiui>. Pat-till. 

1812 States frigate Essex, Capt. Porter, captured the 
of Por . British sloop of war Alert, after an action of only 
tof y Y lc " eight minutes. 

t 9. On the 18th of October, the sloop of war, 
victory ^ Wasp, Capt. Jones, after one of the most bloody 
%oiic? conflicts recorded in naval history, captured the brig 
Frolic, of twenty-two guns. The contest lasted 
forty-three minutes. The loss on board the Frolic 
was thirty killed, and fifty wounded ; on board the 
Wasp five were killed, and five slightly wounded. 
On the same day, they were both captured by a 
British frigate. This splendid victory was followed 
on the 25th of October, by one no less glorious and 
tur's vie- decisive. Com. Decatur, of the frigate United 

tory over 

the Q Ma- States, of forty-four guns, captured the Macedonian, 
man? mounting forty-nine guns, and manned with three 
hundred men. The action continued an hour and 
a half. The Macedonian lost thirty-six killed, and 
sixty-eight wounded ; on board the United States, 
seven were killed and fi^e wounded. 
Sory 10- December 29th, the fortunate Constitution, 
bridle 1 "" then commanded by Com. Bain bridge, captured the 
eainJ Java, a British frigate, carrying forty- nine guns, 
and four hundred men. The action was fought off 
St. Salvador, and lasted three hours. The Java 
lost 60 killed, and 120 wounded ; the ' Constitution 
9 killed, and 25 wounded. 
„ rw . 11. Beside this series of victories achieved by oui 

What is J 

thi d of navy, the American privateers had taken, during 
mnpri- the year, 250 British vessels, and 3,000 prisoners. 
England had found an enemy which had ably con- 
tested her supremacy as mistress " of the sea," and 
in that contest come off victorious. 



Chap. "VI. 



CAMPAIGN OF 1813. 



375 



1813 

CHAPTEK VI. 

CAMPAIGN OF 1813. 

1. The operations of this campaign extended Zialf* 
abng the whole northern frontier of the United £do°n P s e 
Slates. The army of the West was stationed at cam- 

J paign t 

the head of Lake Erie, and commanded by Gen. Where 
Harrison ; that of the centre under Gen. Dearborn, Trmyof 
between the lakes Ontario and Erie ; and that of west 8 ta 

tioned ? 

the North under Gen. Hampton, on the shores of 
Lake Champlain. Colonels Proctor and Yincent l^a™ 
commanded the British forces in Upper Canada, and north? 
Gen. Sheafie those in the Lower Provinces. 

2. The head-quarters of Gen. Harrison, at the what 

-nil- W£LS the 

commencement of the winter, were at Frankhnton, pj*n of 

' ' Harrison' 

in Ohio. His plan was to concentrate a considera- 
ble force at the Rapids, whence he designed to 
make an attack upon Detroit, which was still in Who did 
possession of the British. Gen. Winchester, with %chln 
800 men, was detached to proceed in advance of 
the main army. On the 10th of January, he arrived what in. 
at the Rapids, when he received intelligence that a d?d C he 
body of British and Indians was about to concen- at ce the 
trate at Frenchtown, on the river Raisin, a number and what 

' ' did he 

of miles in advance, at the urgent solicitation of the do? 
inhabitants, dispatched Cols. Lewis and Allen, with 
a force of between six and seven hundred men to Wnatoc 
their assistance. On their arrival, they attacked onThi.r 

J . arrival 7 

Uie enemy, and defeated them, and were joined the 
next day by Gen. Winchester. 



3?b 



MADIS0N ? S ADMINISTRATION. 



Pan III 



1813 3. On the morning of the 22d, he was surprised 
whatoc- by the forces of the British and Indians under Col. 
on the Proctor. Gen. Winchester and some of his troops 

morning . 1 

«£d? he were taken prisoners, and conveyed to the .bnghsh 

what re- camp, when, being terrified with threats of an In- 
quest did • r ' , H/I T 1 • 

Chester dian massacre, he sent to Madison, requesting mm 
Madron? to surrender. 

what did 4. P ] "°ctor accompanied the flag and made the 
sayl 18 ™ demand, but Madison replied that he would not 
surrender unless the safety of his men were guar- 
proctor antied. Proctor demanded, "Do you mean to dic- 

say? _ ' J 

tate to me?" "Mo," was the reply, " I intend to 
w£ a the dictate for myself ; and we prefer selling our lives 
Madron? as dearly as possible, rather than be massacred in 

cold blood." The surrender was made on condi- 
condition tion that officer^ should retain their side-arms, pri- 

was the • . 

d "7 en ' vate property be respected, and the prisoners be pro- 

made? tected by a guard. 

were 5. These stipulations Proctor disregarded, and 

condi- handed the prisoners over to the Indians who butch 

tions re- r 

garded? ere( j t Qera i n cold blood. Some of their bodies were 
thrown into the flames, and others, shockingly man- 
gled, left exposed in the streets. These awful deeds 
were continued a number of days. Proctor, the 
whatw prime mover in this scene of butchery, which would 
prom£ rs have done honor to the fiends, instead of being 
tJatl ' hung by order of his government, received the rank 
of major-general in the army. 

6. Gen. Harrison, on receiving the news of this 



curredat melancholy defeat, was on his way to Frenchtown, 



Whatoc 

f.nrr 
Fori 



Mevrs? but fearing an attack from Proctor, he halted at the 
rapids of the Maumee, and erected Fort Meigs 
Here he was besieged by Proctor, with a force of 



Chap. VI. 



DEATH OF PIKE. 



377 



more than 2,000 British and Indians. But Ge^. 1813 
Clay coming to his assistance, with 1,200 Kentuck- 
ians, Proctor was defeated, and obliged to raise the W har 



siege. Col. Dudley and his party, however, fell feteof* 
into an ambuscade, and were slaughtered by the and 

J his par- 

Indians under Tecumseh. The Indians "had been ty? 
deceived by Tecumseh and his brother, the Prophet, 
and after this defeat, deserted their allies. The 
fort was left under the command of Gen. Clay. 

7. Proctor, shortly after, reappeared before the iffio** 
fort, with 4.000 men, but finding it stromal v srarri- draw his 

~ a j n troops 

soned, he drew off his troops, and proceeded against thfi 
Fort Stephenson, on the Sandusky river. Major wwther 

11 * J did he 

Crogan, a youth of twenty-one, defended the fort proceed • 
with 150. Proctor was defeated, with the loss of 
150 killed and wounded. About the middle of April, phensonl 
Gen. Pike, by order of General Dearborn, embarked wsat 

' * ' move- 

at SackeUs Harbor with 1,700, who were conveyed ™f 
across the lake on board a flotilla, commanded by GeS ehy 

Pike 1 

Com. Chauncey, to the attack of York, the capital 
Upper Canada. 

8. On the 27th of April, he landed, and having 
formed his men, pressed on toward the enemy's wh *t *■ 

; 1 J said of 

fortification, driving back a superior force. He had £cu at ~ 
already carried the first battery by assault, and was 
pressing on toward the main works, when an ex- 
plosion of the enemy's magazine took place, which 
killed more than 100 Americans, among whom was 
the lamented Pike. On the fall of their leader, the t e iu a ** 

' genre 

troops halted for a moment, but soon pressed on, b ro s u „ h , 
and carried the place by storm. As the shout of 
victory arose on the air, and was wafted to the dy- ?lke 
ing Pike, a smile of triumph played around his lips, 



378 



madison's administration. Part hi. 



1813 a nd as the flag which had waved over the fort, was 
carried to him, and placed under his head, he expired 
what 9- The troops now returned to Sackett's Harbor, 
Sent" from whence they proceeded to Fort George, at the 



move- 
menl 

bo a th e ar bv nea d °f tne ^ a ^ e ' wn i°h they took, after a warm en- 
mies ' gagement. The enemy proceeded to the heights, 
near Burlington Bay, where they were joined by 
detachments from Chippewa and Fort Erie. 

10. Generals Winder and Chandler were dis- 
patched in pursuit. They encamped on the 5th of 
June in the vicinity of the enemy. Here they were 
attacked by the English, in the middle of the night, 
Junes, with great fury. Having succeeded in taking pris- 
oners Generals Chandler and Winder, with a large 
number of the troops, they made a precipitate re- 
treat. 

How 11. On the 29th of May, 1,000 British troops 
force was landed from the squadron, and proceeded to attack 
at Sack- Sackett's Harbor. The force in this place amounted 
bor ? to about 1,000 men, and was commanded by Gen. 
Brown, of the New York militia. As the enemy 
approached the breastworks, the militia, seized with 
whatoc- a sudden panic, broke their ranks and fled. Col. 
lo!£f Mills, in attempting to rally them, received a mor- 
tal wound. The regulars slowly retired, and, tak- 
ing possession of the different houses, poured from 
their doors and windows so deadly a fire upon the 
enemy that they paused. At this moment, Gen. 
Brown, who had succeeded in rallying the militia, 
marched rapidly down toward the landing. The 
English commander, believing it was his intention 
to cut off his retreat, embarked his troops so has- 
tily as to leave the wounded upon the field. 



Chap. VI. 



CAPT. LAWRENCE. 



379 



12. While these events were transpiring on oui is 13 
northern and north-western frontiers, a terrible In the 
warfare was being carried on upon the ocean. ™me n 
There, as well as on land, England, by her cold- was 
blooded cruelty, stamped her character with an th 



trans- 
piring OS 



ocean 



eternal blot of infamy. A squadron from the Eng- 
lish navy, stationed in Delaware Bay, captured and 
burned every merchant vessel which came within 
its reach, and bombarded the village of Lewiston. 

13. Another squadron, commanded by Admiral what 
Cockburn, was stationed in Chesapeake Bay. The events 
troops made frequent excursions into the country, place7 
slaughtering the cattle, and insulting the inhabit- 
ants. Frenchtown, Havre de Grace, Frederick- 
town, and Georgetown, were sacked and burned. A 
strict blockade was kept up at New York. The 
American frigates United States and Macedonian 
escaped from port, but were chased into New Lon- 
don Harbor, where they were blockaded for a num- 
ber of months. 

14. In the mean time many severe and bloody what is 
conflicts had been fought upon the ocean. On the [j^ Jat- 
4th of February, the Hornet, commanded by Capt. {he ee H 0r . 
Lawrence, met the British brig Peacock, of about PeacockJ 
equal force. The conflict lasted fifteen minutes, 
when the Peacock struck her colors, and displayed 

a flag of distress. On his return to the United 
States, Capt. Lawrence, for his bravery and suc- 
cess, was promoted to the command of the frigate 
Chesapeake, then lying at Boston. what in' 

15. On being informed that the British frigate ^ t di(1 
Shannon had been cruising for a number of weeks £S£ re 
off the harbor, inviting" an attack, stimulated b\ w^fe 011 

& J turn? 



38U 



madison's administration. 



1813 forrasr success, he determined to meet it. With a 
oescnoe crew enlisted for the occasion, he sailed out of .he 
fbe- 1 " harbor. At half fast five on the same evening, they 

§£1 rnet ' anc ^ eil £ a g e d with great fury, 
peaks 16, gy the first broadside, the sailing-master of 
nJn n " the Chesapeake was killed, and Capt. Lawrence 
and three lieutenants severely wounded. The se- 
cond and third broadsides so cut up her rigging, 
that her quarter fell on the Shannon's anchor. 
The enemy now sprung on the deck in great 
Describe numbers. Captain Lawrence, in the act of sum- 
l!w- moning the boarders, received his mortal wound. 
r as> C mo- When carried below, be was asked if the colors 

ments. 

should be struck. He replied, " No, they shall wave 
while I live." With the most intense eagerness, he 
listened to the combat, which was carried on upon 
the deck of his ship, and hoped for victory. When 
he knew that the American flag had been lowered, 
and that he was conquered, reason fled its throne. 
Whenever able to speak, he would exclaim in the 
most beseeching tones, " Don't give up the ship." 
He only survived his defeat about four days. 
Se w na- id Lawrence, by his bravery, his previous vie- 



Seethe tory, and magnanimous conduct, had become the 
hts ws idol of the nation, and his death was lamented with 

leath ? 1 

sorrow and with tears. The Shannon lost, during 
wu a the tn e engagement, 24 killed, and 56 wounded ; the 
both 011 Chesapeake 48 killed, and nearly 100 wounded. 

The honors which were heaped on the commander 
Howwas of the Shannon for his victory, by the British ffov- 

tnis vie- J ) J o 

l^ewed eminent, showed the pride with which they viewed 
English ? a victory over a frigate, in a navy which had so often 



humbled their power. 



Chap. VI. BATTLE OF LAKE ERIE. 381 

18. The next encounter at sea was between the 
American brig Argus, of 18 guns, and the British What 
brig Pelican, of 20 guns, in which the latter was n e a xtfn 
victorious. On the 5th of September following, the at sea? 
British brig Boxer surrendered to the Enterprise, ^J**? r n 
commanded by Lieut. Burrows. The fact that both $£of 
ships were of equal force, was a strong fact in favor ept ? 
of the superiority of American seamen. Both of what 
the commanders were killed, and interred beside not >? ed 

' in theso 

each other at Portland. battles? 

19. While the navy was winning glorious lau- Whatia 
rels on the ocean, through the exertions of Com. the d of 

squadror; 

Perry, a squadron had been fitted out on Lake J* 1 ^™ 1 
Erie. It consisted of nine vessels, carrying fifty- Erie1 
four guns. The English squadron, which had been 
built and equipped, under direction of Commodore 
Barclay, consisted of six ships, carrying sixty-three 
guns. 

20. On the 10th of September, Com. Perry, forming 
the line of battle, hoisted his fighting flag, on which 
were inscribed the dying words of the gallant Law- begin? 
rence, "Don't give up the ship." At 12, the ene- 
my's flag-ship, Queen Charlotte^ opened a heavy thewm 
fire on the Lawrence, the flag-ship of Perry. The ™ entot ' 
wind was so light that none of the other ships could 
come to the assistance of the Lawrence, and for 

two and a half hours she sustained the fire of the 
Detroit, Queen Charlotte, and Hunter. 

21. Perry was as cool as if on ordinary duty, wh t . g 
working with his own hands at the guns. But by f^f 
this time, the brig had become unmanageable, and 

the crew, with the exception of four or five, lay 
around the bloody deck, either dead or dying. 



382 



madison's administration. p a rtm. 



1813 While thus surrounded, with death and destruction 
pouring in upon him, Perry, taking his fighting flag 
Describe under his arm, and waving his sword, left his now 
SSthT" disabled ship, and proceeded in an open boat to the 
Niagara. The combat now raged with redoubled 
fury. Broadside after broadside was poured into 
the English ships, with unerring aim. Soon one 

Describe . . & , , , , .„ 

close oi the enemy s vessels surrendered; and still Ferry 
contest. f Ji owe d up his victory, until his flag waved in tri- 
What umph over all. At 4 o'clock, the victorious and 
dul s perry fortunate Perry sent to General Harrison, at Fort 
Harrison? Meigs, this modest and laconic epistle, " We have 

met the enemy, and they are ours." 
what is 22. The news of this brilliant victory was re- 

said or J 

jjjj? " ceived with great joy by the nation. It had been 
gained over a superior force, and opened a passage 
to the recovery of all that had been lost by the sur- 
render of Hull. Not only Perry, but all under his 
command, gained laurels of which they might well 
be proud. 

where 23. Gen. Harrison, who had been joined by Gov. 
Harrison Shelby, of Kentucky, with 4,000 men, as soon as he 

proceed ? . . 

had received intelligence of the victory, hastened to 

the lake, and embarked for Maiden ; but, to his sur- 

Knd ld prise, he found that fortress and the public store- 
on his ar- * 1 

what did h 01 ^ 63 burned. 1 he enemy were pursued by Gen. 
he do? Harrison, who, on the 29th, took possession of De- 
troit, and then pressed on after the retreating foe. 
w h ere 24. On the 5th of October, he came up with 
come e u P them, about 80 miles from Detroit, at a Moravian 

with the 1 . 7 

enemy? village, on the river Thames. His force being 
Describe greatly superior, victory was speedily gained. The 
£s e t con " mounted men charged impetuously through the 



Chap. VI. 



DEATH OF TECUMSEH. 



383 



enemy's ranks, then formed, and charged in their isi3 
rear. The British threw down their arms and fled. 
The Indians behaved better, and fought with the 
fiercest desperation. Tecumseh pressed eagerly 
into the midst of the contest, urging on his men, what is 
and throwing his tomahawk with the greatest fury. JJe^eath 
Suddenly the voice of command was silenced, for cumsehl 
the haughty chief had fallen. The Indians now What 
fled, leaving 33 dead on the field. Nearly 600, St h of 
being almost the whole of Proctor's forces, were tie? 
taken prisoners. 



25. Leaving Gen. Cass in command of Detroit, sakl of 
Harrison, with a part of his forces, proceeded, aC- ture 



What 
said oi 
the fu- 
ture 

cording to instructions, to Buffalo, to join the Arner- mentsof 

° \ 'J Harrison: 

ican army, on the Niagara frontier. But there 
having been a sufficient number of general officers 
assigned to that army he returned to his home. 

26. The fall of Tecumseh was deeply felt by the Sf f 
Indian tribes. Possessed of a powerful mind, and S? 1 "" 
the soul of a hero, had his lot been cast in a differ- 
ent state of society, he would have shone, not only 

' ,. ,i Whatdid 

as a warrior, but one of the most distinguished ora- tnese 

' o opera- 

tors and statesmen. The result of the operations prepare 
of the north-west, and victory on Lake Erie, pre- forV vay 
pared the way to attempt a more effectual invasion 
of Canada. 

27. Gen. Dearborn having been compelled to Why M 
withdraw from active service, on account of sick- 
ness, the command of the army of the centre, con- the™ 
listing of 7,000 men, had been given to General centre / 
Wilkinson. It was his plan to descend the St. What 
Lawrence, and attack Montreal. Owing to the 
difficulty of concentrating his troops, it was in tho 



384 



madison's administration. Part ra 



1813 early part of November, before he commenced oper- 

Describe ations. He then, proceeded to St. Regis, when, 

atfons er " finding the reinforcements which he expected from 

General Hampton, who commanded the troops at 

Plattsburgh, had failed him, he abandoned the pro- 

who ject of attacking Montreal, and encamped for the 

l ™m- winter at French Mills. Gen. Hampton soon after 
man< * ot • ii- i 

EV resigned his commission in the army, and the com- 
mand of the post at Plattsburgh was given to Gen. 
Izard. 

what is 28. Creek War. The Creek and Seminole 

said of 

creeks Indians, looking upon the whites as the robbers of 
fuoiSf" their nation, and feeling toward them the most bit 
ter hatred, made use of every means in their power 
manner to torment and annoy them. Without declaring 
fare? waij they ravaged the country, causing the inhabit- 

Describe antS t0 & ee t0 tDeU ' ^ 0ltS ^ 01 * sa f et y- About 300 

daughter men, women, and children had fled to Fort Min- 
Mixiims. ims for protection. About noon, on the 30th of 
August, the place was surrounded by 600 Indians, 
who, with their axes, cut their way into the fort, 
burned the,houses, and butchered men, women, and 
children. Only 17 escaped to carry the horrid tid 
ings to their homes, 
whowas ^9. The whites, indignant at these cruelties, re- 
dispatch- so i ve( i on vengeance. Gen. Jackson, with 2.500 
Lnf^hat men ' anc * Gen. Floyd, with 1,000, proceeded against 
iEV hey them, and laid waste their country ; burned many 
of their villages, and defeated them in bloody 
battles at Talladega, Autassea, and at Emucfau. 
Yet the Creeks, still unsubdued, and confident of 
victory, made a final stand, with 1,000 warriors, at 
the bend of the Tallapoosa. Three thousand men, 



What dia 
one of 
the 



Ctoap. VI. CLOSE OP THE CAMPAIGN. 385 

commanded by Gen. Jackson, marched to attack 1^13 
them. The conflict was long and bloody. Six hun- Describe 
dred warriors soon lay dead on the field, and the ffitSof 
remainder, believing that the Great Spirit had in- creeks, 
deed forsaken them, fled. 

30. The principal chiefs, fearing an extinction why did 
of the nation, entered into a treaty of peace with now en - 

' J 1 ter into a 

Gen. Jackson. One of them, in asking for peace, f 
said, " I have done the white people all the harm I 
could, but now even hope is ended. Once I could 
animate my warriors, but I cannot animate the chiefs 

J say * 

dead. They can no longer hear my voice ; their 
bones are at Tallushatches, Talladega, and Toha- 
peka. While there was a hope of success, I never 
supplicated peace, but my people are gone, and I 
now ask for my nation and myself." In spite of 
their atrocities, we cannot help admiring some traits 
m their character, and dropping a tear over the 
graves of their fallen dead, and their now almost 
buried nation. 

31. In the winter of 1813-14 Congress held an what 

a were th« 

extra session, when the President was authorized {[onTof 
to borrow twenty-five millions of dollars, and issue c h on nex * 
treasury notes to the amount of five millions. A eres * 
communication was received from the British gov- 
ernment, declining the mediation of Russia, and pro- 
posing a negotiation for peace at London or Gottin- 
gen. The proposition was accepted by the Ameri- 
can government, and Henry Clay and Jonathan 
Russell appointed commissioners. The conven- 
tion was held at Ghent. 



25 



386 



MADISON S ADMINISTRATION. Part m. 



rope at 

this 

time - ? 



1814 

CHAPTER VII. 

CAMPAIGN OF 1814. 

what is 1- For three months the armies of both nations 
Seem- remained idle. In the mean time, the troubler of 
mlnfof Europe, Napoleon, the emperor of France, had been 

thiscam- r > r 7 1 . 1 • u J * *l, 

anfe checked in his victorious career, and banished to the 
oFeu™ island of Elba. Europe was once more restored to 
peace ; and England, with no other hostile foe in 
the world, was enabled to direct against the United 
States the whole of her immense force. 
How ma- 2. Fourteen thousand soldiers, who had fought 
I5L under the Duke of Wellington, embarked for Cana- 
HfL- da, and a strong naval force sailed along the Ameii- 
da? can coast, and blockaded many of our ports. Early 
what in the spring, Gen. Brown marched from Sackett's 
ii- Harbor toward Niagara. On the 3d of July Gens, 
g? by Scott and Ripley, with three thousand men, crossed 
Brown? the river, and with but slight opposition took pos- 
session of Fort Erie. On the next day Gen . Brown, 
with the main body of the army, marched to Chip- 
peway, where the British troops were intrenched. 
SS commanded by Gen. Riall. On the morning of the 
chipL 5th, both armies met in open field. After an obsti- 

way ? ' 1 , . , , , 

nate and bloody contest, the enemy withdrew to 
their intrenchments with the loss of five hundred 
men. 

3. Gen. Riall, after his retreat, retired to Bur 
lington Heights. Here he was reinforced by Gen 
Drummond, who, assuming the command, led back 



What is 



Chap. VII. BATTLE OF LUNDY's LANE. 



387 



the army toward the American camp. About sun- is 14 
set on the 25th the battle of Lundy's Lane com- what 



menced, and continued until midnight, com- 

4. Two armies meeting within a few miles of the on the 

< evening 

cataract of Niagara, the roar of which was silenced !^ th the 
by the thunder of cannon, with no light save the 
flashes from instruments of death, and glimp SeS scene 
of the moon, presented a scene of great sublim- senffin 

' * & the Ni- 

ity. General Scott, leading on the advance, first gfgg 
attacked the enemy, and maintained the fight for ground? 
more than an hour, against a force seven times his Descriu 

the at 

number. The main army, under General Brown, tack, 
coming up, the contest was renewed with great fury. 
•A British battery, stationed on a commanding emi- 
nence, sorely annoyed the Americans during the 
first part of'the engagement. It must be silenced, 
or the victory is lost. 

5. " Can you storm that battery ?" said General 
Ripley to Col. Miller. " I'll try, sir," was the laconic w e h n atdid 
answer ; and placing himself at the head of the Hind 
21st regiment, marched, in the face of a terrific fire, m& 
to the mouth of the blazing cannon, sprung over 

1 • t i i What did 

the guns, as the match was being applied, drove coi^Mi- 
the artillery men back at the point of the bayo- 
net, and seized the pieces. The whole war does 
not furnish an instance of a more daring act of 
bravery than this. 

6. This eminence was the key to the British po- 
sition, and every exertion was made by the English w hatef 
commander to regain it. Thrice he charged with were t& 
the bayonet, but was repulsed and at last driven from ltf" mi . 
the hill, and the Americans left in quiet possession nenRe * 
of the field. The thunder of battle was, at length. 



385 



madison's administration. 



Part III, 



H814: hushed, and no sound was borne on the midnight 
What air, save the roar of the cataract and the groans 
Suff of the dying, who strewed the field. On that 
lfe e ? bat " bloody field lay, ghastly in death, 878 English sol- 
diers, and 858 American. 

7. Gens. Brown and Scott having been wound- 
the c d m- e d> tne command devolved on Gen. Ripley, who, 
X'oii' after having remained for a few hours on the 
Ripley? hill, and collected the wounded, retired to Fort Erie, 

and there intrenched himself. Gen. Drummond, 

What. J 

by a G d en ne wu - n 5,000 men, on the 4th of August, besieged 
ESS? him. On the night, between the 14th and 15th, 
the besiegers made an assault on the fort, but were 
what loss repulsed, with the loss of more than nine hundred 

were the 1 ' 
besiegers rnpn 
repulsed? mei1 ' 

8. On the 17th of September, Gen. Brown, who 
what had taken command of the garrison, ordered a sor- 

was done ° 1 

tie fiom the fort, and destroyed the advance works 
of the enemy. Shortly after, Gen. Izard arrived 
from Plattsburgh with a reinforcement of 5,000 men, 
when the enemy retired to their intrenchments, 
£ard? behind Chippeway. General Izard followed, but 
finding it impossible to dislodge them, evacuated 
Canada, and placed his troops in winter-quarters at 
Buffalo, Black Rock, and Batavia. 

9. Early in September, Sir George Prevost, avail- 
ing himself of the absence of General Izard, with a 
large portion of the garrison, advanced toward 

sept!" Plattsburgh, with 14,000 chosen troops, most of, 
whom had served with Wellington, in the peninsu- 
lar campaign. On the 6th, the enemy arrived at 
„ ri . . Plattsburgh, which is situated near Lake Cham- 

Where if & ' 

oure*? plain, on the banks of a small river. On their ap- 



on the 
17th of 
Sept.? 



What 
troops 
came 
with 



Wnatdi 
Sir 

George 
Prevost 
do in 



Chap, VII. BATTLE ON LAKE CHAMPLAIN. 



389 



proach, the American troops formed a breast-work isi* 
of the planks, which they tore from the bridge. How 

10. On the 11th of September, the British squad- ^my 6 

, ,i a • received? 

ron was seen Dearmg down upon the American 
squadron, which was anchored off Plattsburgh, and how 
commanded by Com. McDonough. The former ^d- *" 
carried 95 guns, and was manned with 1,050 men ; rons ' 
the latter carried 86 guns, and was manned with 
820 men. 

1 1. The battle commenced at 9 o'clock, and con- 
tinued for a number of hours. Seldom had the Describe 

the ac- 

ocean witnessed a more bloody or terrible contest Uoa - 
than that which took place on the still waters of 
Lake Champlain. Two hostile fleets, borne on the 
bosom of that placid lake, awakening the deep 
echoes of those giant hills by the roar of their artil- 
lery, as they poured their broadsides into each other, what is 

" 1 J 1 . ' said of 

in quick succession, and the immense army of Sir [Jescena 
George Prevost, drawn up in order of battle, wait- ed? 
ing for the striking of the American flag, to open 
their fire on land, preseuted a sublime scene. 

12. Thousands on the shore watched the con- 
test on the lake with intense interest. The firing, 
at length, ceased : a light breeze swept away 
the sulphurous cloud which overhung the combat- 
ants ; when lo, the stars wave in triumph, and the Which 
red cross of England lies on the bloody deck. Now, 
Sir George Prevost, look at your humbled flag, and 
then for your contest with the cowardly Yankees. 
Boldly he led on his forces to the river's edge, but 
they marched to death. The American fire thinned 

his ranks, and the dead bodies of his troops floated Prevost 

lead on 

down the river, which was crimsoned with blood. ££ ki at ~ 



aves in 
triumph 5 



390 



madison's administration. Part hi. 



isii: 13. The contest continued until night-fall, wnen 
How the enemy fled. On the lake, the American 
the coil- loss was 110, the British 194. On land the Amer- 
ttoueT ican loss was 119, that of the British 2,500. With 
What these victories the campaign closed on the northern 
S? frontier. 

can loss) ^ e ocean many battles were fought, in 

the Bnt- which the Americans were victorious, or only yield- 

ishloss? . J J 

ed to superior forces. The Essex, commanded by 
Sties ^ a pt- Porter, after a bloody combat, struck to a 



gamed British frigate and sloop of war, whose united force 
ocean? was vastly superior. The American sloop Wasp, 
commanded by Capt. Blakely, captured the Rein- 
deer, and afterward sunk the Avon. The sloop 
Peacock captured the Epervier, of equal force. 

15. On the Atlantic coast, the citizens anticipat- 
ing an augmentation of the enemy's force, took 
every precaution to fortify and garrison their forts. 
S5s at ef " For the protection of Washington, 1,000 regular 
made to troops were raised, and placed under General Win- 
the At- der. A British fleet, under Admiral Cochrane, 

lantic ' * 

coast? shortly afterward entered the Chesapeake with a 
with large land force, commanded by Gen. Ross, who 
Btru£ in " was instructed by his government to destroy and 

tions did , , i • i ; 

Seeteif ^ waste sucn towns on the coast as might be as- 
£*" sailable. 

peake? 16 Q n g£ 19th q{ August, Q Qn Rogs l an d e d at 

mat Benedict with 5,000 men, and advanced through 

w&s done 

romT'" tne coun t r y to Washington. A stand was made at 
Bladensburg, but the militia fled, although a body 
of seamen and marines, under Com. Barney, main- 
tained their ground until they were overpowered by 
numbers. The enemy then proceeded to Washing- 



BURNING OF THE CAPITOL. 



391 



ton, which had been deserted by the militia, burned _1814 
the Capitol, President's house, and all the public Aug. 24. 
buildings, and then retired to their shipping. 

17. This shameful and cowardly act, by which 
a vast amount of treasure, works of art and sci- 
ence, were destroyed, excited the indignation of the 
whole people, and made the war popular with al- 
most all parties. The loss of the enemy, during 
the incursion, was eight hundred men. 

18. In (he mean time, a portion of the fleet where 

71 did the 

ascended the Potomac to Alexandria. The inhab- 
itants, to purchase their safety, delivered up their the at in- d 
shipping, all the merchandise in the city, and the do? 
naval and ordnance stores, public and private. 

19. General Ross, elated with his success at Wash- whatdid 
insfton, determined to attack Baltimore. With this termine 

a ' to do 1 

intent, he sailed up the Chesapeake, landed with s eP t. 12. 
five thousand men at North Point, and commenced where 
his march toward the city. General Strieker ad- land his 

J men? 

vanced with two thousand men to retard his pro- 
gress. A skirmish ensued, in which Gen. Ross was Sfof 
killed. The Americans gave way and retired to march, 
the heights, where Gen. Smith was stationed with skirmish 

° ' which 

the main body of the army. Col. Brooke, on ensued? 
whom the command devolved on the death of Gen. H? w did 
Ross, finding it impossible to draw Gen. Smith fr OlTl pediticn 
his intrenchment, removed his army in the night, nate? 
and re-embarked at North Point. The fleet shortly 
after left the Chesapeake, and proceeded south. 

20. The coast of New England suffered much 3 at l f 8 
from the attacks of the English navy. The ports ages of 
of New York, New London, and Boston were block- S?5 

7 ; on the N. 

aded, and Stonington was bombarded by Commo- 



392 



madison's administration. Part 



1814: dore Hardy. In several attempts which he made 
to land, he was repulsed by the militia, and finally 
compelled to draw off his forces. 

jfo°st w was 21. In the spring of 1814, Andrew Jackson was 

Spomt- appointed major-general in the service of the United 
States, and directed to protect the coast near the 

whatdid mouths of the Mississippi. On his arrival at Mobile, 

he learn 11 1 

rival is at r ' ne learned that three British ships of war had en- 
Mobiie? terec | t | ie k ar kor of Pensacola, and landed three 
hundred soldiers with a large amount of arms and 
ammunition, to be distributed among the Spanish 
and Indians. 

what 22. General Jackson, after having remonstrated 

steps did ' ° 

Jackson m vam w ith the governor of Pensacola, for afford- 
ing protection to the enemies of the United States, 
marched against the place, forcibly took possession 
of the city, and compelled the English to evac- 
uate Florida. Having given the haughty foe 
a foretaste of that which was to come, he re- 

whatin- turned to his head-quarters at Mobile. Here here- 

forma- . 1 . 

non did ceived information, that a powerful expedition was 
h1s V r e e on on its way to attack New Orleans, and without de- 
what did lay, marched with his troops to that city, where he 

arrived on the 1st of December. 
mnl&n ^ ^ n ms an "i va l ne found the city in a state of 
find the confusion and alarm. The militia were composed 
hwfarri- of men of all nations, imperfectly organized. 

No fortifications existed on the various routes 

by which the place could be approached. Gen. 

Jackson, undismayed by the difficulties which sur- 
what rounded him, proceeded to fortify the place. To 
he e taS direct tne energies of the motley mass undei his 

direction, he took the daring responsibility of pro- 



BATTLE OP NEW ORLEANS. 



393 



claiming martial law. This measure, although a 
violation of the constitution, was thought to he jus- 
tified by necessity. 

24. The enemy passed into Lake Borgne, and 
mastered a flotilla which guarded the passes into 
Lake Pontchartrain. On the 22d of December, 
about 2,400 of the enemy reached the Mississippi nine 
miles below New Orleans. On the following night 
they were attacked by Gen. Jackson, but they stood 
their ground. Jackson now withdrew his troops to 
his intrenchments, four miles below the city. On 
the 28th of December and 1st of January, vigorous 
but unsuccessful attacks were made on his forti- 
fications by the enemy. 

25. On the 8th of January, Gen. Packenham 
brought up his forces, amounting to 12,000 men. 
While approaching, fearless and undaunted, in solid 
columns over an even plain, showers of grape-shot 
thinned their ranks. When they came within mus- 
ket shot, a vivid stream of fire burst from the 
American lines, and poured on them an unceas- 



1814 



Describe 
the 
move- 
ment of 
the ene 
my. 



The at- 
tack of 
Jackson 
and the 
result 



How 
large was 
Packen- 
ham 's 
force ? 



Jackson's fortifications were of a 
novel character. Bags of cotton, which 
no balls could penetrate, were made 
use of for breast-works. His front 
was a straight line of one thousand 
yards, defended by upward of 3,000 
infantry and artillerists. The ditch 
contained five feet of water, and his 
front was rendered slippery and mud- 
dy by frequent rains. Eight distinct 
batteries were judiciously disposed, 
mounting in all twelve guns. On the 
opposite side of the river was a strong 
battery of fifteen guns. 




394 madison's administration. Par < Illt 

£81* ing tide of death. Hundreds fell at every dis 
How charge, and whole columns were swept away 
thlyV Closing their broken ranks, they pressed on ovei 
Ameli- tne dead bodies of their comrades, but to fall before 
cans? that iron tempest, which poured in incessant vol- 
leys upon them, 
what 26. General Packenham was killed, Gen. Gibbs 
monaiiy wouno, ed mortally, and General Keene severely, 
wound- Without officers to direct them, the troops at first 
halted, and then fled to their camp. On the night 
of the 18 th, with great secrecy, they embarked on 
board their shipping. Two thousand of the enemy 
was the lay on the field of battle, while the Americans lost 
S!e e ? bat " but seven killed, and six wounded. This was one 

of the most brilliant victories in the war. 
what 27. In the midst of the rejoicings of the nation, 
ten?'" 1 * news arrived of a treaty of peace, which had been 
rived 6 ar " concluded at Ghent, on the 24th of December. The 

about ' 

t£ e ? motives for the impressment of seamen had ceased 
with the war in Europe, and the treaty provided 
merely for the restoration of peace, and the bound- 
aries remaining as they were. 

whatna- 28. After the declaration of peace, two additional 

val vie- 1 ' 

wore 8 victories were gained upon the ocean, which im- 
Eamed ' parted a brighter lustre to the American flag. In 
February, the Constitution, Capt. Stewart, captured 
the Cyane and Levant, and in March, the sloop 
Hornet captured the brig Penguin, stronger in guns 
and men than herself. All parties gladly welcomed 
the return of peace, and a general rejoicing pre- 
vailed throughout the country, 
wa^war 29. War with Algiers. The Algerines hav 
ins: violated the treaty of 1795, and committed nu- 

A.lgi«rs? ° J ' 



Ctiap. VII. WAR WITH ALGIERS*. 395 

merous depredations upon the American commerce, x g 15 
the United States declared war against them. An 
American squadron, under Com. Decatur, sailed JJf a h s ° gent 
into the Mediterranean, captured an Algerine brig Jg™2? 
and forty-four gun frigate, and, at length, appeared 
before Algiers. The dey, intimidated, signed a ? 
treaty of peace advantageous to the United States, 
on the 30th of June, 1815. 

30. During the session of Congress in 1815-16, ™" he 
a second " Bank of the United States" was char- united 
tered, with a capital of $35,000,000. In December, la a nf ^ 
1816, Indiana was received into the Union as an ed • 
independent State. At the presidential election state 

1 1 was ad- 

held in the autumn of this year, James Monroe, of ^ l e ttedt0 
Virginia, was chosen president, and Daniel D. ^no 
Tompkins, of New York, vice president, elected 

31. At the age of 66 years, Madison retired from §^J- ex 
public life, to his estate in Virginia. Here he re- 
mained a greater portion of his time, until his death. S at l f ? 
On the 28th of June, 1836, at the age of 85, he died— " ad 
as serene, philosophical, and calm, in the last mo- 
ments of his existence, as he had been in all the 
trying occasions of his life. Of that band of bene- 
factors of the human race, the founders of the Con- 
stitution, James Madison was the last who went to 

his reward. 



396 



Monroe's administration. 



181T 



CHAPTER VIII. 

MONROE'S ADMINISTRATION. 

FROM MARCH 4TH, 1817, TO MARCH 4TH, 1825. 



wa h s e Mr !• James Monroe was born in Westmoreland 
En? 9 ' county, Virginia, on the 28th of April, 1758. In 
1776, he graduated at William and Mary College, 
and n On leaving college, he commenced the study of 

where S3 # J 

Monroe ^ aw 5 Dut vei T soon relinquished it for the army, in 
graduate? wn j cn ne received an appointment as lieutenant, 
what He was wounded at Trenton, and for his bravery 
he hold gradually rose to the rank of major. Failing in 

in the ° J J & 

raising a regiment in Virginia, Major Monroe left 
the army, and entered on the study of law in the 
office of Mr. Jefferson. 
Ed?d ^' * n 1^80, at the age of twenty-three, he was 
aSSsT elected to the Virginia legislature, and in the fol- 
lowing year to the Continental Congress. From 
1790 to 1794, he was a member of the Senate of 
the United States, and was taken from that body to 
be minister plenipotentiary from this country to the 
court of France. On his return, he was appointed 
governor of Virginia. In 1803, he was again ap- 
pointed minister to France, and was afterward sent 
both to England and Spain, 
what 3. In 1810, he was again elected governor of Vir- 
fioeadid ginia, the duties of which office he continued to 

be fill? ° ' 

perform until he was appointed secretary of state 
under Mr. Madison. In 1817, when the war had 
ended, and the nation had once more settled down 



Cliap. VIII. WAR WITH THE SEMINOLES. 



397 



into a state of quiet and peace, he was elected pres- isit 
ident. 

4. The country at this time, perhaps, had brighter What 
prospects before it than for a long time previous, project 
Peace reigned within its borders, and continued country 

° . . ' at this 

prosperity soon relieved it from embarrassments, tlme? 
which were the necessary consequences of the war. When 
On the 11th of December, Mississippi became an sissippi 
independent State, and was admitted into the to the 

r > Union ? 

Union. 



5. In 1818, Illinois adopted a State Constitution, w ^ en j 
and became a member of the Union. During this 



Illi- 
nois ad- 
mitted to 

year, a war was carried on between the Seminole union? 
Indians and the United States. Many outrages 
were perpetrated by the Indians upon the border £ n r ' 
nhabitants, and Gen. Gaines was instructed to pro- th,syear! 
ceed against them, and reduce them to submission ; who 
out his force being insufficient, Gen. Jackson was again*, 

3 them, 

ordered to take command, and raise from the sur- no ( w with 
rounding States such forces as he might deem ne- toll? 
cessary. At the head of 1,000 Tennesseeans, he 
marched into Florida, took possession of St. Marks, 
a feeble Spanish garrison, where he found Arbuth- 
not and Ambrester. These men were accused of 
exciting the Indians to hostilities, tried by a court- 
martial, and executed. 

6. On learning that the governor of Pensacola why _dui 
favored the Indians, Jackson marched against, and ™hi it . 
took possession of that place, meeting with but ance?'* 1 " 
slight resistance, the governor having tied to Bara- 
cas. a fort six miles distant. To this place Jackson 

What 

followed, and having commenced a furious cannon- ^ ok 

' ° place at 

ade upon the place, the governor was glad to sur- Baracn *' 



398 



monroe's administration. 



Part III. 



1818 render. Agreeable to the terms of capitulation, the 
governor and officers were sent to Havana. Jack- 
son now announced that the war had closed, and 
returned to Nashville, 
what 7. The conduct of Jackson in the war was cen- 
opinion sured by very many, but approved of by the Presi- 
tS 1 " 1 * dent. A resolution of censure was rejected in Con- 
conlucu gress by a large majority. On the 22d of February. 

1819 - 1819, a treaty was concluded at Washington, by 
treaty which East and West Florida were ceded by Spain 

was con- J r 

Syear? to the United States. On the 22d of March, the 
government of Arkansas Territory was organized, 
othe? On the 14th of December, Alabama was admitted 
states into the Union, and the year following the province 

were ad- ' J or 

mitted? f Maine, which had been connected with Massa- 
chusetts, was separated from it, and became an in- 
dependent State, 
what 8- In 1821, Missouri applied for admission. The 
arosfon question arose, should she be admitted as a slave 

the ap- - 1 3 

of Mii on State ? After a strong debate, it was decided that 
admit? 1 slavery should be tolerated in Missouri, but prohib- 
tonce? ited in all the territory of the United States north 
and west of Arkansas. 

9. Mr. Monroe's term of office having- expired, he 
Who . . . 

aSfinst nt was re - e l ecteai president, and Mr. Tompkins vice 
rafes pi o> president. The Gulf of Mexico having been for 
ofMexi- some time infested with a gang of pirates, Commo- 
dore Porter was sent out to chastise these miscreants, 
that regard no law and that feel no mercy. He 
what succeeded in a short time in completely breaking 
Ind cr dT up their organization. 

edpereon 10. During the summer of 1824, the Marquis de 
America Lafayette paid a visit to the land whose cause h« 



Chap. VIII. MARQUIS DE LAFAYETTE. 



399 



had adopted in its darkest hours, and whose liber- 
ties he had assisted so much in establishing. His 
head was now frosted with the snows of seventy What ii? 
winters, and nearly fifty years had rolled away since SPhSJ ? 
he had battled side by side with Washington, in 
the sacred cause of liberty. He traveled through 
every State in the Union, and was every where re- 
ceived with the strongest demonstrations of love 
and affection. 

11. He had not only received no remuneration 
tor his services during the war, but had expended 
nearly all his private fortune. Congress now pre- 
sented him $200,000 and a township of land. The 
frigate Brandy wine was prepared to convey him to 
his country, and he was attended to the place of 
embarkation by the President and most of the pub- 
lic officers in Washington. 

12. At the next presidential election the most in- What J9 
tense political excitement prevailed .throughout the Ihenfxt 
country. The candidates were Messrs. Adams, f£^^- 
Crawford, Jackson, and Clay. Neither of these 
candidates having received a majority, the House 

of Representatives decided in favor of Mr. Adams. 
Mr. Calhoun of South Carolina was elected vice 
president. 

13. After having been for fifty years in public what i# 
life, Mr. Monroe found the quiet of his home in ^ n n cl ^' f 
Virginia peculiarly acceptable. Here he remained Se ? Mon 
for a number of years, when he came to reside with 

his daughter in New York. On the 4th of July, 
1831, just five years after his illustrious predeces- 
sors, Adams and Jefferson, had quitted the scenes 
of their labors, he expired. He had passed the or- 



400 



J. Q.. A DAMS' ADMINISTRATION. Part III 



1825 dinary boundary of human life, being over seventy- 
three years old. 
t^hatis 14- Mr. Monroe possessed many of those traits 
MrMon- necessary to form an able diplomatist. In making 

SSSf 1 U P mm d on an y SUD j ect ) ne was never dazzled 
ments.f fa e brilliant colorings of his own imagination, 
nor led astray by any tormenting passion. Some 
may be greater, many as great, but ages may pass 
before one more fortunate will be found in the 
presidential chair of the Republic. 



CHAPTER IX, 

J. Q. ADAMS' ADMINISTRATION. 

FROM MARCH 4TH, 1825, TO MARCH 4TH, 1829. 

When 1. John Q,uincy Adams was born at Q,uincy, in 
^ ere Massachusetts, in 1767. His father, John Adams, 
Adlms Q ' early identified himself with the liberties of his 
country ; and from the time that the colonies first 
Sfof De g an t0 writhe beneath the oppression of England, 
father? until the close of his presidential career, was ever 
by their side, cheering them on by words of hope 
and encouragement. Nursed in such a school, and 
rocked by that patriot father in the cradle of liber- 
ty, high hopes were formed of his future success, 
nor were these hopes disappointed. 

2. In early life he accompanied his father on his 

On what J r 

Sdhego missl0n t0 Fiance, and subsequently to England, 
life? m where he was sent to negotiate peace. At the age 



Chap. IX. 



Adams' early life. 



40i 



of eighteen he accompanied Mr. Dana, the minis- is2& 
ter to Russia, as his private secretary. On his re- 
turn, wishing to complete his education, he entered when 
Harvard College at Cambridge, and graduated there graduate? 
m 1787. He then commenced the study of law in 
the office of Theophilus Parsons, chief-justice of the 
State, and in due time was admitted to the bar. 

3. In 1794 he was appointed resident minister to what 

r 1 honora- 

Netherlands, where he remained for a considerable ci e s £ 
length of time. Near the close of Washington's and what 
administration he was appointed minister to Portu- wm' 
gal, but was afterward transferred to Berlin. In 
1802 he was elected to the State Senate, and in 
1806 to the Senate of the United States. Here he 
distinguished himself, not only as a sound diploma- 
tist, but as a fluent and eloquent speaker. 

4. But his country demanded his services abroad, 
and in 1809 he was appointed minister to Russia, farther 
Here he enjoyed the confidence and affection of the him* 
Emperor Alexander, and established on a firm basis 
those friendly relations which have ever since been 
maintained with that nation. In 1817 he was ap- 
pointed minister to the court of St. James, where 

he was received with the respect due not only to the 
office, but to his distinguished talents. On the elec- 
tion of Mr. Monroe to the presidency, he made 
choice of Mr. Adams as secretary of state, in which 
position he proved himself as able in council as he 
had been in the Senate. In 1824 he was elected 
President of the United States. 

5. During the administration of Mr. Adams, the whatof 

. . , , , . the coun- 

country enjoyed eontmued peace and unexampled [gjg- 
prosperity ; manufactories increased, the arts and gj^Jfj' 
26 



402 



J. Q., ADAMS' ADMINISTRATION. 



1829 sciences flourished, and a general spirit of content 
and happiness prevailed throughout the country, 
whatoc- The 50th anniversary of American independence, 
theloth 11 rendered memorable by the event which it celebra- 
sary of ted, was made still more so in the annals of Ameri- 

our inde- ' 

Hence? can history by the death of the two venerable ex- 
1826. presidents, Adams and Jefferson. But few other 

What is . . ' , . it- i • i 

said of events oi historical interest occurred during this ad- 

the next ° 

CafeieS- ministration. The next presidential election was 
OIi? more closely contested than any preceding one. 

General Jackson was elected president, and John C. 

Calhoun vice president, 
what is 6. Mr. Adams, at the close of his term of office, 

farther ' . . 

Mr d Ai- retn ' e d to his farm ; but anxious to serve his coun- 
MM 1 try, he shortly after was elected representative in 
Congress, which office he retained until his death. 
Mr. Adams' history has been one of great interest. 
From early boyhood he was in public life, devoting 
the energies of his giant mind to the welfare of his 
country. He died at his post of duty, in the na- 
tion's Capitol, surrounded by the greatest of her 
sons. Caesar fell in the Senate House, but the 
hand of violence struck the blow. Adams died in 
the Capitol, with the nation at his side. Even the 
wife of his bosom retired from his couch, that his 
country might be the only mourner present when 
he expired. On Monday, February 21st, 1848, he 
was struck with paralysis, in his seat in the Hall 
of Representatives, and removed from thence to 
the Speaker's chamber, where he remained in a 
state of insensibility until a few moments before 
his death, which occurred on Wednesday, Feb- 
ruary 23d, at 7 o'clock P. M. His last words were. 
" This is the last of earth; lam content" 



Jackson's early life. 



403 



1839 

CHAPTER X. 

JACKSON'S ADMINISTRATION, 

FROM MARCH 4TH, 1829, TO MARCH 4TH, 1837. 

1. Andrew Jackson was born on the 15th of ^ h en 

and 

Marcn, 1767, in Waxsaw, South Carolina, a settle- Sf e 
ment whither his family had emigrated from Ire- born ? 
land, two years previous. Shortly after his birth, 
his father died, leaving three sons to be provided 

' ° r What is 

for by their mother. She determined to educate 
Andrew for the clerical profession ; but scarcely life5 
had he entered on the study of the ancient lan- 
guages, when the revolutionary struggle com- 
menced, and at the age of fourteen he abandoned 
school for the colonial camp. The body of troops 
to which he was attached, was surprised by a large 
number of the enemy, and compelled to surrender. 
Jackson and his brother were kept in strict confine- Sfof 

r his 

ment until they were exchanged, after the battle brotheMl 
of Camden. His elder brother had previously per- 
ished in the service of the colony, and his younger 
brother shortly after died from a wound which he 
had received during his imprisonment. 

2. In 1786 he commenced the practice of law, 

and removed to Nashville in 1788, where profes- what or- 

7 1 fices did 

sional success immediately attended him. In 1796, befiU? 
he was elected to the lower house of Congress, and 
delegated to the national senate in the following 
year, but resigned near the close of the session. 



404 



jackson's administration. 



1829 alleging his distaste for the intrigues of politics. 
Within that period, he was chosen major-general 
of the Tennessee militiaj and held the office until 
called to the same rank in the United States' ser- 
vice. 

3. As mention has already been made of his 
K did" military career, it would be useless to recapitulate 
i«£m& here. In 1823 he was elected to the Senate of the 

United States, but resigned his seat in the second 
session. In 1829 he was elected to the presidency 
of the United States. 

4. The condition of the United States at this 
was the time was one of unexampled prosperity. The 

condition 1 . 

states at coun * 1 T was at P eace wit! i all nations; the na- 
time? tiorml debt was in the course of rapid diminu- 
tion, and the treasury had within its vaults more 
than five millions of dollars. Agriculture, com- 
merce, and manufactures were in a highly flourish- 
ing state. 

5. In 1832, a bill for re- chartering the United 
183S - States' Bank passed both houses of Congress, but 

what is was returned by the President, with his objections ; 
the bin not being repassed by a majority of two-thirds, the 
Ing the" Dan ^ ceased to be a national institution on the ex- 
Sankf 8 " piration of its charter, in 1836. During the spring 
of this year, hostilities were commenced by the Sac 
hostiii- and Fox Indians, on the western frontiers of the 

ties 

broke United States, under the celebrated chief, Black 
year? Hawk. Generals Scott and Atkinson were sent 
against them, and after a harassing warfare, they 
defeated the Indians, drove them beyond the Mis- 
sissippi, and took Black Hawk prisoner. 

6. 'The most intense excitement prevailed for a 



Chap. X. 



NULLIFICATION. 



405 



time in South Carolina, respecting a tariff bill, im- 1833 
posing additional duties on foreign goods, which had whati3 
passed Congress in the summer of 1832. The Caro- the d tariff 
linians declared and boldly maintained, not only in 
their own State, but through the person of their illus- 
trious senator, John C. Calhoun, in the halls of Con- 
gress, that the act was unconstitutional, and that 
the duties should never be paid by South Carolina, 
and that if government persisted in the attempt to 
enforce the payment, they would withdraw from the 
United States, and establish an independent gov- 
ernment. 

7. This doctrine of declaring an act of Congress how 
null and void, was little relished by the majority of jjg'gj 
the nation, and the proclamation issued by the [- e n n , a ' 
President was generally popular with all parties, what 
He declared that the laws must be executed, and prock- 

' mation 

that any opposition to their execution must be re- J^f?^ 
pelled, by force, if necessary. laent? 

8. South Carolina still retained her hostile feel- 
ings, and determined on resistance. It would be 
impossible to tell what the sad result of this con- 
troversy might have been, had not Mr. Clay, of whaua 
Kentucky, introduced a compromise bill, which t 1 ^ 1 ° s ra ' 
passed both houses of Congress, providing for the bl113 
gradual reduction of duties until 1843, when they 
were to sink to the general level of 20 per cent. In 
1833, Jackson was re-elected president, and Martin Ked as 
Van Buren was chosen vice president. inimi 

9. In 1833. the President removed from the 



Bank of the United States the government funds 
deposited there, and transferred them to certain 
State hanks. This measure was strongly censured mlm" 



Whai 
public 
act was 
done by 
Fackson 



406 jackson's administration. 



Part III. 



1833 by th e opponents of the administration, who attri 
whoop- buted the pecuniary distresses of 1836 and 1837 t 
thiSct? the war of the President upon the United States 
Bank. The President declared, that the bank had 
become the scourge of the people, and that the dis 

Whatdid ■■ & r t . 

Jackson tresses of the country were owing to its mismanage 

declare? J ° 

ment. 

10. In 1830, Congress passed a law authorizing 
what the President to remove the remaining Indian tribes, 
congress inhabiting our southern states, to a territory which 

pass in ° i j 

i83o? should be appropriated to their use. beyond the Mis- 
sissippi. With the Chickasaws and Choctaws treaties 
were made, by which they exchanged their lands, 



: 

3 
1 

I 



What 

treaties 



were and quietly removed to the country fixed upon, west 

formed? , V / , J . • , , 

of the Arkansas. But the Gnerokees were loth to 
leave their cultivated fields and pleasant homes, 
why which they had surrounded with the luxuries of 

were the J 

keeTun- civilized life. Too many interesting associations 
teave nffto clustered around those running brooks, those hills 

their s . . 

bimes? a nd vales, where they had played in childhood, and 
where slept the ashes of their fathers. The spirits 
of the silent dead seemed looking down upon them, 
and urging them not to desert their graves, and 
they boldly refused to go. 

11. It was the policy of Georgia to make their 
SeGeo? P os ^ on as unpleasant as possible. They ac- 
treauhe cordingly extended over their territory the laws of 
Indians? ^eir gt a te, an d 5 among other things, declared that 
Dec. 2o, no Indian, or descendant of an Indian , residing within 
the Creek or Cherokee nations of Indians, should be 
whaUs deemed a competent witness, or party to any suit, 
*a4nof m ari y court where a white man was defendant. 
S.kees? sr The Cherokees had been civilized, and possessed a 



Cliap. X. CREROKEES AND SEMINOLES. 40? 

national government, and written laws, and now 1835 
they asked, what right have the people of Georgia 
to exercise jurisdiction over us ? The Supreme what did 
Court of the United States had declared these acts Seme' 

. . !• Court de- 

to be unconstitutional ; yet the decision was disre- clai e? 
garded, and when they appealed to the President JJg^' 1 
for protection, he stated that he had no power to in- tSf S ub- 
terfere with the acts of a sovereign State. 

12. In 1835, a few of their chiefs signed a treaty what 

' J treaty 

for the sale of their lands, and a removal west of the ^ edio 
Mississippi. Most of the Cherokees were opposed 1835 ' 
to the treaty, but finding resistance w T ould be in 
vain, they removed without bloodshed. The Sem- What is 
inole Indians, however, refused to leave their coun- thesem- 

; ' moles ? 

try, declaring that the treaty executed in 1832, at 
Payne's landing, by which they agreed to re- 
move, was unfair and treacherous. Gen. Wiley 
Thompson was sent to Florida, to prepare for the 
emigration ; but Osceola, their most noted chief, 

What of 

said, " They wished to rest in the land of their osceoia? 
fathers, and their children to sleep by their side," 
and strongly remonstrated against the proceedings 
of government. His proud bearing and haughty 
tones displeased Gen. Thompson, and he ordered 
the chieftain to be put in irons, and confined in 
prison. Osceola, in a day or two, affected peni- 
tence, signed the treaty to remove, and was re- 
leased — but not to fulfil the treaty, for he had de- 
termined on a deep and cruel revenge. 

13. At this time Gen. Clinch was at Fort Drone, wha. 
Being in want of supplies, and in great danger sp"gj°° 
from the Indians, who surrounded him, Major Dade clinch - 
was directed to march, with 117 men, from Fort f^f 01 



408 



jackson's administration. Part ni< 



1835 Brook, at Tampa Bay, to his assistance. He had 
proceeded about eighty miles on his way, when on 
the morning of the 28th of December, he w T as sur- 
rounded by a band of Indians, and he, with all but 
four of his men, killed and horribly mangled, 
whatoc- 14. On the same day, Gen. Thompson, who was 
Jgrt g? dining with a convivial party at Fort King, within 
sight of the garrison, was surprised by a discharge 
of musketry, which killed himself and five of the 
party. Osceola, at the head of the Indians, rushed 
in, and himself scalped the man who had dared place 
fetters on his free limbs, and then retreated, unmoles- 

Where 

wasGen. ted by the garrison. Shortly after, Gen. Clinch was 
attacked? attacked by the Indians, on the bank of the With- 
whatis lacooche, and met considerable loss. TheSeminoles 
thesemi- now commenced ravaging the country, burning the 
houses, and murdering whole families. Gen. Scott 
who was now invested w ith the chief command, but was 

succeed- 7 

scoST' soon after ordered to the country of the Creeks, 

and his place filled by Gen. Jessup. 
wSoat- 15. In May, the Creeks commenced hostilities, 

tacked J ' . ' " 7 

the in- setting fire to houses, and murdering iamihes, de- 

dians at o J O l 

riierT" stroying towns, burning steamboats, and ravaging 
the whole country. The governor of Georgia raised 
Sof 18 troops, took the field in person, and was joined by 
Gen. Scott on the 30th May. By their combined 
efforts, peace was restored early in the -summer. 
On the 16th of June, 1836, Arkansas and Michi- 



ihe 

Creek 
hostili 

ties ? 



What 



p'tace in gan were admitted into the Union, on equal foot- 



June, 



W3*» ing with the original States. At the next presi- 
dential election, Martin Van Buren, of New York, 
was chosen president, and Richard M. Johnson, of 
Kentucky, vice president. 



Chap. X. 



DEATH OF JACKSON. 



409 



16. On the expiration of his term of office, Gen. i&zq 
Jackson retired to his farm in Nashville, where he Whatl3 
resided until his death, which occurred June 8th, the d i- 
1845, in the 78th year of his age. On the morning events of 
of the day on which he died, he swooned, and, for a «M»'siifei 
time, was supposed to be dead ; but he soon after 
revived, and lived until evening. A short time be- 
fore his death, he took an affectionate leave of his 
friends and domestics, retaining to the last his 
senses and intellect unclouded. He expired with 

the utmost calmness, expressing the highest confi- 
dence in a happy immortality through the Re- 
deemer. 

17. Perhaps no statesman has ever had warmer 
friends or more bitter enemies. All admit, however, dosing 
that he was an able general, and possessed strong de- remar 
termination of mind. Future generations, when the 
rancor of party feeling has subsided, will be enabled 

to form a more accurate estimate of his merits and 
demerits, than those who live when the waves of 
that sea of party strife on which he rode, are still 
dashing at their feet. 



CHAPTER XL 

VAN BUREN'S ADMINISTRATION, 
FROM MARCH 4TH, 1837, TO MARCH 4TH, 1841. 
1. Martin Van Buren was born at Kinderhook, w hcn 

7 and 

in New York, Dec. 5th, 1782. His parents were £|£vi 
of Dutch descent, and in humble circumstances. ES 



410 



van buren's administration. 



183 7 Martin received his education at the academy of 
what is ms native village, which he attended until the age 
SSct- of fourteen, when he commenced the study of law 
educa 8 in the office of Francis Sylvester, Esq., in Kinder - 
hook. Here he remained until the last year of his 
professional study, which he spent in the office 
of William P. Van Ness, in the city of New 
York. 

2. In 1803 he commenced the practice of law in 
his native village, and was shortly after appointed 
surrogate of Columbia county. In 1809, on ac- 

What.is ° . /• i • i • 

■toted of count of the increase of his business, he removed to 

his life ' 

HudlforT? the city of Hudson. He was elected State Senator 
in 1812, and in 1815 appointed Attorney-general 
of the State. Here he had ample opportunity to 
display the acuteness of his mind, and soon enjoyed 
the reputation of being one of the first lawyers in 
the State. 

what 3. In 1816, on account of his professional busi- 
b'OnOffi" ness, he removed to the city of Albany. In 1821 he 
hTfiiH was elected to the Senate of the United States, 
where he distinguished himself as an eloquent 
speaker, and a skilful statesman. In ]828 he was 
elected Governor of New York, but resigned the 
office in the following year to fill the post of Secre- 
tary of State, to which he had been appointed by 
Jackson. In 1831 he was sent as Minister Pleni- 
potentiary to England. In 1833 he was elected 
vice president ; and in 1837, president of the United 
States. 

4. After the public moneys had been removed 
,dwhat from the United States Bank to the State banks, 
Se- the the facilities for borrowing on credit were greatly 



What 
caused 
the spirit 
of specu 
lation 
about 
this lime, 



Chap, xi. COMMERCIAL DISTRESS. 



411 



increased. The old roads of honest industry were iss? 
abandoned, and fortunes were made in an hour by 
speculation. Cities were planned in the wilder- 
ness, on the rocks, and the sea-coast below high 
water mark ; and building lots sold at immense 
prices. This unnatural state of things had its cri- 
sis in 1837. Many having contracted large debts 
were obliged to fail, and in failing drew others into 
the vortex with them, until a large portion of the 
heaviest establishments in the country were com- 
pletely prostrated. The banks now stopped specie 
payment, and apprehension pervaded the whole 
mercantile community. 

5. During the months of March and April, the whatia 

& r ' said of 

failures in the city of New York alone amounted JJ^/Yn 
to more than one hundred millions of dollars. Men £k? 
who had been living in affluence, and supposed 
themselves worth an independent fortune, retired 
in comparative ease and comfort at night, and awoke 
bankrupt and without a home in the morning. The 
banks where the public moneys were deposited 
shared the common fate, and the question now arose, 
how was the government to meet its expenses, and 
what should be done with the public purse ? 

6. To decide these and other questions, an extra what 
session of Congress was convened. The President the pres- 

° ident 

recommended a mode for keeping the public funds, m^d' for 
called the " sub-treasury scheme," which was re- fhlpuf- 
jected by Congress. Treasury notes were ordered , 
to be issued, and other measures taken to supply how did 

' rr j it suc- 

the wants of government. The pressure in the ceed? 
money market was gradually removed, and on the 
13th of August the banks resumed specie payment; 



412 



VAN BUREN'S ADMINISTRATION. Part III. 



18-ao but it was a long time before the country came back 

to its former prosperous condition, 
what is 7. The war with the Seminole Indians, in Flo- 
the sem rida, which was supposed to have been brought to 
* ar 1 an end, again broke out with renewed fury. The 
Indians, hid in their swamps and everglades, hunt- 
ed down our troops and the inhabitants like wild 
osSokj beasts. In October. Osceola and several principal 
chiefs, with about seventy warriors, came to the 
Baitfof 3 American camp under a flag" of truce, and were 

the seiz- 1 ° 7 

Kda- ta ^ en prisoners by order of Gen. Jessup. Osceola 
pined away, and shortly afterward died. The 
seizure of an enemy under a flag of truce, which 
was contrary not only to the usages of civilized, 
but of savage nations, was severely censured by 
many ; by others it was justified, from the fact that 
Osceola was treacherous, and that no treaties could 
bind him. The war continued, with varied success 
on the part of our troops, until 1840, when it was 
brought to a close, 
what 8. The Sub-treasury bill, which was rejected by 
congress Congress in 1837, was again introduced in 1840, 
and passed both houses. -The census of 1840 



in 1840 .' 



what showed the population of the United States to be 

was the 

ceusi 

1S40 1 



msof 17,068,666. Gen. William Henry Harrison, the 
hero of Tippecanoe and the Thames, was elected 
fSher 15 president, and John Tyler, of Virginia, vice presl- 
van Bu : dent. Mr. Van Buren, on leaving the presidential 
chair, retired to his property at Kinderhook, where 
he continued to reside until his death, July 24, 1864. 



chap. xii. Harrison's early life. 



413 



1841 

CHAPTER XII, 

HARRISON'S ADMINISTRATION, 

FROM MARCH 4th, 1841, TO APRIL 4th, 1841. 

1. William Henry Harrison was born at Berk- what w 
ley, on James river, twenty-five miles from Rich- the birth 
mond, Virginia, in the year 1773. He was the ofHam 
youngest of three sons of Benjamin Harrison, a de son 
scendant of the celebrated leader of the same name 

in the wars of Cromwell. His father was chairman 
of the committee of the whole house, when the 
Declaration of Independence was adopted, and was 
one of the illustrious signers of that act. 

2. At the age of seventeen, William Henry left what 
Hampden Sydney College, and commenced the sion did 
study of Medicine. The death of his distinguished fi ^ st , 

J o adopt, 

parent, immediately after his arrival in Philadel- 'f^ ^ 
phia, in 1791, to prosecute those studies, checked leave lt ' 
his professional aspirations ; and the note of pre- 
paration, which was sounding through the country 
for a campaign against the Indians of the west, 
decided his destiny. In opposition to the wishes 
of his guardian, he determined to enter the army, 2 s at d c ;J; 
and received an ensign's commission from General !he fil1 w 
Washington. In the following year he was select- 
ed by General Wayne as one of his aids. After 
the treaty of Grenville, Harrison was left in com- 
mand of Fort Washington, now Cincinnati. 

3. Weary with a garrison life, he resigned his 
commission, and at the age of twenty-four was ap- 



4L4 



Harrison's administration. Part m 



1841 pointed Secretary of the North-western Territory. 



what of- I Q he was elected the first delegate in Con- 
hflifaf- gress from that extensive region now comprising 

ter leav- 
ing the 
army 1 



duced 
him 

agai.i to 
enter the 
army ? 



the States of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Michi- 
gan, 

what in- 4. In 1801 Harrison was appointed governor of 
Indiana Territory, a post of great responsibility. A 
never-slumbering watchfulness was the means he 
used in keeping down Indian invasions. During 
the year 1811, the intrigues of the British agents 
stirred up the passions of the Indians, and rendered 
hostilities unavoidable. The events of this cam- 
paign have already been recorded. The judgment 
displayed in its prosecution, and the battles of Tip- 
whatis pecanoe and the Thames, have given Harrison a 
SShrf high rank among heroes. In 1817 he resigned his 

him till ° . . 1 t» ' ■ i 

hiseiec- commission, and retired to his iarm at North Bend, 

tion as ' 7 

denu fr° m which he was repeatedly called to represent 
the people in Congress. 

5. In 1824-5 he was elected to the Senate of the 
United States, and in 1828 appointed minister to 
Colombia. On his return to his country, he re- 
tired to the pursuit of agriculture at North Bend, 
where he remained until called by the voice of his 
what is country, in 1841, to the presidential chair. But his 
h!s d ad f administration was of short duration, for in one 
Hon? month from the time when the shouts of thousands 
went up at his inauguration, he wab lying cold in 
death in the presidential mansion. 
Describe ^ ^ n Thursday, the 25th of March, he caugh 
Suseof a slight cold from undue exposure, and on the day 
ness. its following was overtaken in a shower, which in- 
ddth creased the symptoms. Continuing unwell on Satur- 



Harrison's death. 



415 



day, he was prevailed on to send for a physician, is^i 
who prescribed some medicine. On Sunday, his 
fever increased, accompanied with general symp- 
toms of pneumonia. The disease now assumed an 
alarming character, and seemed, until his death, to 
bid defiance to the skill of his physicians. 

7. On Saturday morning he felt somewhat bet- 
ter, and requested the 103d Psalm to be read ; 
when it was concluded, in the presence of several 
of his family, he thanked the Lord for his good- 
ness, and seemed overpowered with deep emotion. 
At 6 o'clock on the same day, the physicians pro- 
nounced him beyond their skill. He gradually sunk 
into a state of stupor, from which he partially re- 
vived about 9 o'clock. Seeing his cabinet and his 
nearest friends around his bed — even in that last 
hour of his earthly existence, the welfare of his 
country lay near his heart, and he faintly uttered, 
"I wish you to understand the true principles of 
government. I wish them carried out. I ask no- 
thing more." His breathings now became more 
difficult, and about half an hour after midnight on 
Sunday morning, April 4th, without a struggle, his 
spirit passed away from earth. 

8. He professed to be a Christian, and his friends what is 

1 ' said of 

who were acquainted with his life, and knew his S a ^ on 
respect and affection for the cause of religion, and clus,0D ' 
his intention in a few days of uniting with the 
church, entertained no doubt of his sincerity. The 
nation telt, as they received the news of the death 
of their President, that God was chastising them 
for theii sins ; and as they bent beneath the rod, 
they learned the important lesson, that " God only 



116 



tyler's administration. 



Part III. 



1841 i s great." Party spirit was forgotten, and the whole 
nation mourned together. . 

" Death ! Death in the White House ! Ah, never before, 
the Trod his skeleton foot on the President's floor ! 

Haw!- 00 He is looked for in hovel, and dreaded in hall — 
death. The king in his closet keeps hatchment and pall — 

The youth in his birth-place, the old man at home, 
Make clean from the door-stone the path to the tomb ; 
But the lord of this mansion was cradled not here — 
In a church-yard far oif stands his beckoning bier ! 
He is here as the wave-crest heaves flashing on high 
As the arrow is stopped by its prize in the sky — 
The arrow to earth, and the foam to the shore — 
Death finds them, when swiftness and sparkles are o'er.' 1 



CHAPTER III1. 

TYLER'S ADMINISTRATION, 

FROM APRIL 4TH, 1841, TO MARCH 4TH, 1845. 

what i» 1. John Tyler was born in Charles city, Vir- 

said of ^ J 7 

pa- th g m i a > m 1789. His father, John Tyler, was a dis- 
r $g t ? tinguished man, and from 1808 to 1811 held the 
high office of governor of Virginia. Tyler was edu- 
cated at William and Mary College ; on leaving 
which, he commenced the study of law in the office 
his early of his father. At the age of twenty-one, he was 
elected to the State legislature, and from 1816 to 
1821 held a seat as representative in Congress. 
Here he distinguished himself not only as a work- 
ing man, but as a bold and fluent debater. In 1825 
he was elected governor of Virginia, and in 1827 to 



DIFFICULTIES IN RHODE ISLAND. 



417 



the United States Senate. In 1841 he was elected isu 
vice president of the United States, but on the death 
of the lamented Harrison, by the Constitution, the 
duties of the presidential office devolved on him. 

2. Gen. Harrison had called an extra session of Wha t 
Congress, to consider matters which he believed to some of 

° 7 ... the acts 

be of vital importance to the nation. During its {^ s *' t * 
session, the sub-treasury bill was repealed, a bank- § cor- 
rupt law passed, and two bills chartering a bank gress? 
of the United States were vetoed by the President, whatbiii 

f was ve- 

As this was one of the favorite measures of "the toed 
whig party, the conduct of the executive caused How 
him to be denounced bv them in no measured terms. Suet* 
His entire cabinet were indignant at what they con- regSdedi 
sidered his treachery toward his party, and with 
but one exception, resigned. In 1842 a dispute 1842 
with England, respecting the north-eastern boun- What oc- 
dary line, was negotiated between Mr. Webster and maf 10 
Lord Ashburton. 

3. In this year, domestic difficulties commenced whati3 
in Rhode Island. An attempt was made to set the dim. 
aside the ancient charter, which had hitherto been whic h 

' occurred 

in force. One party adopted a constitution, and, 
unauthorized by the laws of the State, elected a 
legislature, and chose Thomas W. Dorr governor. 
The law and order p?rty also met, and chose Sam- 
uel W King governor. Both patties met in 1843 fc 
and organized their government. The legally or- 
ganized party now attempted to put down what 
they considered a rebellion. The insurgents under 
Dorr appeared in arms, but were dispersed with but 
little resistance. The whole State was placed un- 
der martial law. Dorr fled, but shortly after return- 

27 



418 



Tyler's administration. 



Part III. 



1843 ing, was tried for treason, and sentenced to be im- 
prisoned during life. In a short time, he was par- 
doned. In the mean time, a constitution for the 
State was adopted. 

What is 4. Texas was formerly a province of Mexico, and 

Texas? settled principally by emigrants from the U. States. 
In 1834, her citizens becoming displeased with what 
they considered the unjust and tyrannical policy of 
the Mexican government, declared themselves inde- 
pendent. A long and bloody war followed, which 
finally ended in the defeat of the Mexicans, and the 
establishment of a republican form of government 
in Texas. It had long been the wish of the Tex- 

Jeaty ans. to be admitted into the Union as a State, when, 

was sub- , 

congress m 1845, the President submitted to Congress a 
mi845.' t, ea ty f or the annexation of that country to the 
United States. 

whatis 5. The discussion of this question awakened the 

said of . i i i • 

the dis- most intense excitement, throughout the nation. 

cussion ' ° 

S£ hit The whig party strongly opposed it as a measure 
eioned? intended, to increase the limits of the slave territory, 
and to perpetuate in the country what they consid- 
ered a foul blot on our national escutcheon. They 
contended, that we had territory enough without 
Texas, and independent of this, that we had no 
right to admit her into the Union. The democratic 
party contended, on the contrary, that we not only 
had the right, but were in duty bound, under the 
then existing state of affairs, to form with her a 
treaty of annexation. They insisted that Texas, 
as an independent and sovereign State, had full 
power to enter into any treaty with a foreign gov- 
ernment. After a long and boisterous discussion in 



Cl»ap. XIV. 



EARLY LIFE OF POLK. 



419 



Senate, the treaty was defeated by a large ma- i^ts 
jority. What 
6. At the next presidential election, James K. fate of 

the irea* 

Polk, of Tennessee, was elected president, and ty? 
George M. Dallas, of Pennsylvania, vice president. S° 
Mr. Tyler, at the close of his term of office, retired th e e C next 

J 1 ' presi- 

to his estate in Virginia. He died Jan. 18, 1863. denU 



CHAPTER XIV, 

POLK'S ADMINISTRATION. 

FROM MARCH 4TH, 1845, TO MARCH 4TH, 1849. 

1. James K. Polk was the eldest of ten children, whati» 

said of 

and was born in Muhlenberg county, North Caro- JJ^'jJ? 
Una, on the 2d of November, 1795. His ancestral p^k? of 
name, which was Pollock, was gradually abbrevi- 
ated to Polk. His father was an unpretending 
farmer, who, by industry, energy, and perseverance, 
had arisen from poverty to comparative wealth. In 
1806 he removed to Tennessee. James being of del- u> 'ifeta 

° the time 

icate constitution, his father determined on educat- efectSn 
ing him for commercial pursuits, and went so far Kesideo- 
as to place him in a counting-house. But this em- ° y 
ployment was exceedingly distasteful to him, and 
he pleaded so hard with his father that he would 
permit him to alter his course, that he at length 
consented. 

2. On leaving the counting-house, he entered 
upon a course of* studies preparatory to college, and 
hi 1818 graduated at the University of North Caro- 



420 



polk's administration. 



184-5 Iina, with the highest honors of the institution. 
In the following year, he commenced the study of 
law in the office of Senator Grundy, and in the lat^ 
ter part of 1820, was admitted to the bar. Here he 
met with great success, and soon became exten- 
sively known as an eloquent pleader, and a close 
and logical reasoner. In 1823 he was elected to 
the State Legislature, and in 1825 he took his seat 
as representative in Congress. In 1835 he was 
elected Speaker of the House of Representatives, 
and re-elected to the same important post in 
1837 In 1838 he was elected by a large majority, 
governor of Tennessee, and in 1844 president of the 
United States. 

52 bm 3. During the session of Congress in 1845, a bill 
1E%b P asse( ^ both houses, instructing the president to en- 
congress ter mt0 a treaty of annexation with Texas. The 
1,1 18457 treaty was concluded the same year, and Texas 
outrages admitted into the Union as an independent State. 

had the 1 

Mexi , 4. War with Mexico* — Causes, &c. — Almost 

cans ire- ? 

commit- from the commencement of the Mexican republic, 
the on outrages on the persons and property of American 

cans ? 

* Mexico was discovered by Grizalvia, a Spanish navigator, 
in 1518. On the 21st of April, 1519, Hernando Cortez, sent out 
by the Governor of Cuba, landed his force of 617 men where 
now stands the city of Vera Cruz. Mexico was inhabited by 
numerous warlike nations, who understood many of the arts of 
civilized life. In 1521, with his small force, Cortez had con- 
quered the whole country, and overturned the throne of Monte- 
zuma. From this time, Mexico was governed by viceroys from 
Spain, until 1822, when Iturbide was proclaimed emperor. 
From 1810 till 1820 insurrections against the home government 
prevailed throughout the country. In 1823 Iturbide was ban 
ished from the country ; and in 1824 a constitution was formed 
simf ar to that of the United Slates. 



Cliap. XIV. RELATIONS WITH MEXICO. 421 

citizens have been committed by Mexico, and re- 1 s^s 
dress, although frequently demanded, has been 
either refused, or the subject evaded. On the 5th What 
of April, 1831, a treaty of amity and navigation cTudeT 1 ' 

1 7 ' , \ . , between 

was concluded between the republics, yet scarcely thetw» a 
had two months passed away, before fresh outrages 11118317 
were perpetrated. 

5. In 1837, during the administration of Jack- whatde- 
son, a messenger was dispatched to Mexico, tOwas d t 
make a final demand for redress. This demand jj^g™ 1 
was made on the 20th of July. The Mexican gov- * n h d at 
ernment expressed a wish for the continuation of n?\^of 
friendly feelings, and also promised that the diffi- 
culties should be settled. These solemn assurances 
were never fulfilled. 

6. On the 11th of August, 1840, a joint commis- whatjjs 
sion was organized, the powers of which were to mfsslo™* 
terminate in February, 1842. The claims that gLt u " 

. 1840? 

were allowed by this board, before the commission 
expired, amounted to two million, twenty-six thou- 
sand, one hundred and thirty-nine dollars, and 
sixty-eight cents. The amount of unsettled claims 
at that time was nine hundred and twenty-eight 
thousand, six hundred and twenty-seven dollars, 
and eight cents. 

7. On the 30th of January, 1843, a second con- Whatls 
vention was concluded between the two govern- theVc- 
ments, which declared that the interest due on the vention? 
awards made in favor of the claimants in the con- 
vention of 1840, should be paid to them on the 30th 

1 Have the 

of April, 1843, and the principal, with the interest ij^f a - 
accruing thereon, in five years, in equal instalments 
every three months. Notwithstanding the payment 



422 



polk's administration. 



B845 °f these sums was secured by treaty, yet the claim- 
NVh „~r~ ants had only received the interest due on the 30th 
the d M f ex- of April, 1843, and three out of the twenty in- 
ragesi stalments. Mexico thus showed a want of good 
faith, in the repeated violation of solemn treaties. 
.These outrages were, without doubt, one of the rea- 
sons for war ; yet we are to look to another quarter 
for the principal cause. *» 
32? the 8 - 0n the 29th of December, 1845, Texas was 
boundary admitted into the Union. The original boundary 
tween line between Texas and Mexico was the Nueces, 

Texas ' 

f c n d ? Mex " hut on the 19th of December, 1836, a few months 
when after the establishment of the Texan independence, 
dafmed her Congress passed an act in which they declared 

by Texas or J 

and how? the Rio Grande, from its mouth to its source, to be 
Eco" 1 its boundary. The Nueces was held to be the boun- 
ciaim? dary line by the Mexicans, and the territory between 
what g the two rivers claimed by that government. Mexi- 
iafmanl- c0 naf l l° n g manifested hostile feelings toward 
toward 1 exaS, and had frequently threatened to send troops 
to reduce to submission what she considered a re- 
volted province, 
what 9. On the admission of Texas into the Union, 

was Tay- 

rectedto Gen. Taylor was directed to proceed with a small 
do? force to some position west of the Nueces, that he 
did he might be in readiness to repel any attempt at inva- 
bni h d°ii sion by Mexico. In August, 1845, he encamped at 
main?" Corpus Christi, on the west side of the Nueces, where 
what in- he remained six months in perfect quiet, there being 
our rot- no attempts at invasion by the Mexicans. During 
receded, this time our government had been informed, that 
wasTay- it was the intention of Paredes to assemble a large 

.or di- ° 

rented to am)V on the Rio Grande, for the invasion of Texas, 



Chap. XIV. FORT POLK AND FORT BROWN. 



423 



they therefore directed Taylor to advance, and oc- ig^e 
capy the east bank of the Rio Grande, opposite 
Mata moras. 

10. Taylor commenced his march on the 8th of When 
March, 1846. On the 20th he reached the Colo- Jl" 6 

mence 

ratio, where he was met by Gen. Mejia with a small £j| rch , 
force, who informed him that if he crossed the river 
it would be considered a declaration of war, and 
would be immediately followed by actual hostili- 
ties. Taylor crossed the river without resistance, 
and marched to Point Isabel. The inhabitants pro- hf s scnbe 

, . . ~ , march tc 

tested against the occupation oi any portion of their gjjgjjj" 
territory by the Americans, set fire to the public 
building's, and abandoned the place. Taylor fixed 
on this point as a depot for provisions ; and hav- 
ing made preparations for the erection of Fort 
Polk, moved forward, and reached the Rio Grande 
opposite Matamoras on the 28th of March. 

11. In the mean time, Mr. Slidell, an agent of whaui 

the United States, was in Mexico, insisting on J^p" 

being received as a plenipotentiary, while Mexico 

would only recognize him as a commissioner. Mr. 

Slidell was finally compelled to withdraw from the 

country. General Taylor, on arriving- before Mata- TayL 10 
J . . do on ai ' 

moras, placed his cannon in a position so as to jSJj^jJf 

command the streets of the city, and shortly after Grande " 

erected Foil Brown. 

12. These measures, adopted by the president, wtntu 
by which our troops crossed the boundary claimed jjj| as 
by Mexico, were considered by a large portion of adopted 
the people of the United States as impolitic, if not presf" 
unjust ; and the occupation of a territory by our 
troops, which at least was a subject of dispute, was 



424 



polk's administration. 



1846 deemed by many a belligerent act. Gen. Ampudia 
what did so considered it, and notified the American general 
dkand to retire beyond the Nueces, within twenty-four 
do?* hours. On the 24th of April, Gen. Arista super- 
seded Ampudia in command, and communicated 
to Taylor, that he considered hostilities com- 
menced. 

13. On the 23d of April, Gen. Taylor received 
intimation that a large body of Mexicans had 

whatu crossed the Rio Grande, and on the following day 

Thom- dispatched Capt. Thornton with a small force to 
reconoitre ; but in charging the Mexicans, he 
was captured, and his men either killed or taken 

TayL dld prisoners. On the 29th, information reached Gen. 

Point is- Taylor that Point Isabel was surrounded by the 

abel on J J 

the 29th? enem y anc i i n danger. Taylor immediately made 
preparations to go to its relief, and open a commu- 
nication between the two posts. On the 1st of 
what or- May, he departed with the main body of the army, 
he leave? leaving orders to defend the fort to the last, and if 

surrounded, to fire signal guns. 
£ o h k at 14. On the 3d, the enemy, taking advantage 
the C 3dT °f the absence of Taylor, opened their guns on the 
fort, and the holy quiet of that Sabbath day was 
broken by the thunder of cannon. From this time 
till Saturday, shells and shot were constantly flying 
over the heads of that devoted band, shut up with- 
in the intrenchments, with but four hundred rounds 
of ammunition. At the end of three days, Arista 
Jim? sent a summons to the fort to surrender, declaring 

mons did .... . , , . , 

Crista that if it was not obeyed in one hour, he would 

6end to J 7 

Lndwhat P ut tne garrison to the sword. A council of war 
repiv^ 6 was called, and the question put to the youngest 



Ctiap. XIV. BATTLE OF PALO ALTO. 425 

first. His short reply, " Defend the fort to the iste 
death /'' was echoed from lip to lip, and in thirty 
minutes the guns of the enemy were raining balls 
on the intrenchments, and that brave garrison coolly 
prepared for the death-grapple with their foe. 

15. Previous to this, signal guns had been fired ; how did 
as the heavy reports broke in dull and distant hear of 

J A this con- 

echoes over Point Isabel, and Taylor stood and test? 
listened, he remembered the smallness of the garri- 
son he had left behind and the number of the ene- whatdid 
my, and on the 7th commenced his march, saying, wherfL 
"If I meet the enemy, I will fight them." On the g"g h 
8th, he came in sight of the enemy at Palo Alto,* Mays, 
drawn up in order of battle, stretching a mile and ffhe 
a half across the plain, along the edge of a chap- wj|f the 
paral ; a little in advance, on the left, were the * n e d re h ° w 
lancers, a thousand strong, while throughout the a ted* ,tu 
rest of the line were masses of infantry and bat- 
teries, placed alternately. 

16. Our army was immediately formed in order how 
of battle. Gen. Twiggs commanded the right, £™ y e | r 
composed of the 3d, 4th, and 5th infantry and a e r ? bat ' 
Ringgold's artillery. Lieut. Churchill commanded 

the two 18 pounders in the centre, while Col. Bel 
knap was placed over the left, composed of Dun- 
can's artillery and 8th infantry. The battle com- said of 
menced Ringgold opened his battery on the right g^tS-r? 
with terrible effect, the deadly precision of his guns 
sweeping down platoons at every discharge. On 
the left, Duncan poured in his destructive volleys 
in fierce and rapid succession, while in the centre centre i 
the two 18 pounders shook the field with their 



Pronounced Pah-ro-atto. 



426 polk's administration. Part 1TJ 

1846 steady fire, as, slowly advancing, they sent death 
~ through the Mexican ranks. 




GEN. ZACHARY TAYLOR. 



17. The shot of the enemy told on our ranks 

S >f severe ty j Dut the soldiers, cool as veterans, kept 
dterj° 1 ' their position without a murmur. Ringgold, while 

seated on his horse, received a shot, which pass- 
uMcf ed through his horse, cutting in two the pistols 
old1 in his holsters, and tearing away the flesh from 

both his legs, from his knees upward. As he fell 



Chap. XIV. 



COUNCIL OF WAR. 



427 



some officers gathered around, but he waved them ig^e 
away, saying, " Leave me alone, you are needed 
forward." The sun went down on the field of 
blood ; and as his departing rays struggled for a 
moment to pierce the cloud that curtained in the whatji 
two armies, the firing ceased, and the battle of losing oi 
Palo Alto was over. Our little army encamped on 2e! and 

the loss 

the field amid their dead and dying companions, ^j* 61 
With 2,300 men, Taylor had beat 6,000, and killed 
and wounded nearly 400, with a loss of only 9 
killed and 42 wounded. 

18. The weary night wore away. Ringgold 
lay dying — Page, speechless and faint — and many 
of our brave men stretched on the field of then- 
fame, wounded or dying, while hundreds of the 
enemy made the night hideous with their cries and 
groans. That was an anxious night for the brave Whatls 
Taylor. He was within a short distance of the the d sit<L. 
fort, but far from reinforcements ; while the ene- Taylor, 

1 and wha\ 

my within reach of help from Matamoras, were jjjj 1 he 
resolved to dispute his entrance. In this position 
he called a council of war. Only a few were in 
favor of advancing, while the remainder advised 
to intrench where they were, or retreat to Point What 
Isabel. "When all had spoken, the brave veteran 
said, " I will be at Fort Brown before night, if I live." couS? 

19. There spoke out the spirit of the true hero, 

, . i . What 

the same that on the heights of Bennington ex- 

claimed, as the sword pointed to the enemy moving in 

to battle, " Those red coats, men, before night they answer? 

are ours, or Mary Stark's a widotv /" — the same 

that uttered, in the very blaze of the hotly worked 

battery at Lundy's Lane, " Til try sir /" — the same, 



428 



POLK'S ADMINISTRATION. 



Part III. 



1846 that, on the rending decks of the Chesapeake, 
faintly murmured, " Dortt give up the ship /" It 
was a noble resolution to save the garrison, or leave 
his body at the foot of the walls, and right nobly 
was it carried out. 

20. The next day, Taylor recommenced his 
march, and soon came up with the enemy, occupy- 

sow insr a strong 1 position on the farther side of a ra- 

was the b ° r 

defend" vme - Eight pieces of artillery, divided into three 

cd? portions, defended this position — one on the left side 

May 9. f ^ e r oad, one on the right, and another in the 

centre. Scarcely were our troops in order of bat- 

what tie, when the artillery of the enemy opened and 

S e rained a shower of balls on our ranks, and the bat- 
com- 
menced? tie of Resaca de la Palma* commenced. 

Describe 2L The road was swept at every discharge with 
the bat- grape-shot and balls. On the right, our men, ad 
vancing through the chapparal, had outflanked the 
enemy, and were pouring in their well-directed 
volleys ; while on the left, the incessant flash 
of musketry, drowned now and then by the roar 
of cannon and shouts of the men, told how fierce 
S at of s was tne conflict. The battery of Ridgely kept 
iyftat- steadily advancing, like a moving volcano, sweep- 
ing down the enemy at every discharge like grass 
before the scythe, 
whaus 22. The whole army fought with unparalleled 
bravery, led on by officers as brave as ever trod a 
battle field. From the outset, our army steadily 
advanced on every side, except along the road 
where the central battery was playing. At length, 
goaded to madness by the galling fire kept up 



our ar 
my? 



* Pronounced Ray-sah-cah-day-lay-Pal-mah.. 



Chap. XIV. RESACA DE LA PALMA. 429 

from those few pieces, and seeing that the whole is 46 
battle rested there, Gen. Taylor ordered Capt. May 
to charge the battery with his dragoons. His words cKa^' 
were, " You must take it /" May wheeled on his cap" 10 

' J May? 

steed, and said to his followers, "Men, we must take 
that batter y /" 

23. In a moment those eighty-two stern riders 
were moving in a dark mass along the road, headed J h e e scrib « 
by their fearless commander. The next moment charge? 
the bugle sounded to the charge, and the black and 
driving mass swept like a thunder-cloud to the 
shock. A whirlwind of dust marked their career. 
The attention of the army was directed to this des- 
perate charge. The muffled tramp could be heard 

as they broke into a gallop, and rushed forward to 
the muzzles of the guns. In advance was seen 
the commanding form of May, as, mounted on his 
powerful charger, he rode fiercely on, with his hair 
streaming in the wind, while behind flashed the 
sabres of his followers. 

24. One discharge tore through them, stretching 
nearly a third of his company and half of his what ia 

said, of* 

horses on the ground ; but when the smoke lifted, M .ay 
there was still seen the war-horse of May leaping 
the ditch, breastwork and all, his remaining followers 
pressing on, riding down the artillery-men at their 
pieces, and bursting through the Mexican lines. A 
wild hurrah went up from the entire army when they 
saw those fierce dragoons clear the breastwork. The 
infantry now rushed forward with furious shouts, 
driving the enemy before them. The battle then whatof 
became a rout, and the affrighted Mexicans rolled u£ a f?*' 
furiously toward the river, to escape to Matamoras. 



430 polk's administration. Part m< 

1846 25. The garrison at Fort Brown had stood and 
what of listened to the sound of the heavy cannonading of 
*n at 1 * the two days' fight. When the cavalry, plunging 
Brown ° wildly over the plain, emerged into view, they 
mounted the rampart, and under the folds of their 
flag, that still floated proudly in the breeze, sent up 
the shout of victory. Three thousand five nun- 
dred shots had been fired into that single fort, and 
what yet but two men had been killed. The Mexicans 

W3.S ttl6 

both" 1 lost their whole artillery, 2,000 stand of arm, 600 
sides? mules, together with Gen. Arista's private papers, 
and Gen. Yega himself, whom May had made 
prisoner in his charge, and about 250 killed and 
600 wounded. The American loss was 39 killed 
and 82 wounded. Both these battles were fought 
against a vastly superior force. 

26. On the morning of the 17th, Gen. Taylor hav- 

What . . . 6 • . ' . J r ,_. 

message mg made preparations to obtain possession oi Mat- 
SiTo amoras,* sent to the Mexican genera], demanding 
*eMex- - ts g Urrem Jer 3 together with all the public property 
in the city, and giving him until three o'clock to 
decide. In the mean time, a communication was 
JJ^ a ; he sent to the prefect, who replied, Taylor could enter 
reply? whenever he chose. On the ] 8th he took posses- 
sion of the city, and found it deserted by Arista ; 
and a large number of cannon thrown into wells 
^ y Gen. Taylor, though in possession of Matamoras, 
Tay'io" 01 found it impossible to follow up his success from 

Lt l0 8uc" p the want of troops and supplies, and was COm- 
j^ess ? 



* Matamoras is situated 28 miles from Point Isabel, six from 
Palo Alto, and three from Resaca de la PaJma. It contains a 
population of 40,000. [See Map.] 



Chap. XIV. SIEGE OP MONTEREY. 431 

pelledto remain inactive at this post the greater part i84r« 
of the summer. In the mean time, a large force Who 
had been concentrated at Monterey, the capital of mamied 

an ,. theMex 

New Leon, under the command of Gen. Ampudia. jg™ a el 

27. On the 7th of September, Gen. Taylor hav- 
ing received reinforcements, marched from Mata- what 
moras ; and on the 19th, with 6,600 troops, en- gent did 
camped at Walnut Spring, under the walls of Mon- S t lor 
terey,* fohen strongly fortified by nature and art, and mdke ' 
garrisoned by an army of 10,000 men. The nar- the forti 
row streets of the city were barricaded with huge 
piles of masonry ; while the houses, most of which 

had but one story, with flat roofs and battle- 
ments breast high, were fortifications, from which, 
as well as from their windows, a deadly fire could 
be poured on an advancing foe. The city was for- 
tified with thick stone walls, and strengthened by 
ditches and bastions. 

28. To the west, on a steep eminence crowned how 

' A was the 

with stones, stood the Bishop's Palace, a fort ^J brti 
strongly fortified ; on the north, a strong and 
massive citadel, and on the east three forts, while 
the river San Juan flowed along the east and 
south. These defenses were mounted with forty 
pieces of artillery, and manned by more than 
10,000 men. Notwithstanding the strength of 
the position and the difference in their forces, Tay- 
lor determined to take the city, and nobly did he what 

J J was tha 

succeed. The order of attack was formed in three ^f e / 
divisions ; the first under Gen. Twiggs, the second 



* Monterey is a mountain city, about 170 miles from Mata- 
moras It is the capital of New Leon, and contains 15,000 in- 
habitants. 



432 



POLK'S ADMINISTRATION. 



1846 under Gen. Worth, and the third under Gen. But- 
ler. General Woith was to attack the heights, 
while Gen. Taylor, with the other two divisions, 
was to favor this movement by a division on the 
east and north. 

SfeTat- 8 29 - O n tlie evening of the 21st of September the 
battle commenced, and raged with great fury for 
thiee days. The Bishop's Palace was stormed, 
and the gims turned upon the Mexicans, and all 
the strong points in and about the city successively 
carried. As our army advanced into the city, the 
fight became terrific. From every door, window, 
and house-top, a deadly fire was poured upon our 
troops ; yet still they advanced, fighting hand tc 
hand, until by night on the 23d the troops of Quit- 
man and Worth had nearly met each other at the 
main plaza. 

sept. 24. 30. On the following morning Gen. Ampudia 
surrendered the city. The Mexicans were allowed 
what to retire with their arms. An armistice was conclud- 

were the 

ed on to continue eight weeks, or until instructions 
der? from government should be received. The Ameri- 
vhat can loss was 125 killed and 350 wounded. The 

was the 

berth" 1 Mexican loss was estimated at about 1,000 killed 
sides? an( j woun( Je<l. This contest, in which a large force 
strongly fortified was overcome by a smaller, forms 
a brilliant chapter in the pages of history. 
25 m " 31. On the 2d of November, Gen. Taylor received 

tions did , . . 

G e » or instructions from government to terminate the ar- 
tromgov- mistice. He accordingly notified Ampudia that it 
whaUs* 3 would end on the 13th of November. Santa Anna, 
sai!ta ot formerly President of Mexico, who was a short time 
before banished from the country, had been recalled, 



SCOTT ARRIVES IN MEXICO. 



433 



placed at the head of affairs, and Paredes deposed, isn 
Before December, he had succeeded in raising an 
army of 20,000 men, and concentrating them at San 
Luis Potosi, which he strongly fortified. 

32. In the mean time, Gen. Winfield Scott* had who 

7 was the 

been appointed Commander-in-chief of all the land ™™;, er 
forces in Mexico, and directed to withdraw from Amer£ 
Gen. Taylor nearly all the regulars under his com- forces i n 

J J ° Mexico 

mand, and proceed south to obtain possession of How did 
Vera Cruz. Taylor was deeply chagrined at this receive 
intelligence. The idea of parting with the veteran fgeS 
warriors of Monterey was painful m the extreme. ™ t st with 
N5t only were most of the regular troops withdrawn t h r£o P s7 
from him, but Gen. Worth was ordered to march Dec 
at the head of them, from his post at Saltillo, to- 
ward Yera Cruz ; while Taylor was directed to 
fall back on Monterey, and await the arrival of re- 
cruits. 

33. In February, Taylor had received reinforce- whatm- 
ments. Learning that an attempt was about to be ments 



did Tajr- 

made by Santa Anna to possess himself of the line l ™ iv £' 
of posts between himself and Matamoras, he de- 
termined to meet the Mexican President. On the he deter- 
20th of February he was encamped at Agua Nueva, do 
about eighteen miles south of Saltillo, with a force m . 

o ' What 

of 5,000 men. Here he learned that Santa Anna, ™|£ 
at the head of 20,000 men, was twenty miles dis- mt& 



mine to 
? 



* Winfield Seott was born June 13th, 1786, in Virginia. In 1808 
he became a Captain of Artillery, in 1812 a Lieutenant-Colonel, 
and in 1814 a Brigadier and Major-General. In 1855 the rank of 
Brevet Lieutenant-General was conferred upon him. In October, 
1861, he was placed upon the retired list. He died on the 29th of 
May, 1866, at the age of eighty years. 

19 



434 



polk's administration. 



184T tant. Taylor immediately fell back to Buena 
Yista, seven miles from Saltillo. 

34. On the morning of the 22d, the American 
Se^ray- troops were drawn up in order of battle, in a posi- 

ior de- 1 ' r 

scribe his tion of great strength. Taylor thus describes it : 

position i o c J 

" The road at this point becomes a narrow defile, 
the valley on the right being full of impassable gul- 
lies, while on the left rugged ridges extended far 
back to the mountains. The ground was such as 
nearly to paralyze the artillery and cavalry of the 
enemy. Capt. Washington's battery was posted to 
command the road ; another force under Cols. Har- 
din and Bissel occupied the crests of the ridges on 
the left and in the rear, and a small force under 
Cols. Yell and Marshall occupied the left near the 
base of the mountain, while another body was held 
in reserve." 

ne»? did ^5. At eleven o'clock. Taylor received a commu- 
recelve nication from Santa Anna, telling him that he 
Santa was surrounded by 20,000 men, and that if he 

Anna? ' 

would surrender, he should be treated with con- 
?ece?t e sideration. Taylor declined acceding to this very 
*" ofler? courteous request,* and on the following morning 

* On the 21st considerable firing occurred on the part of the 
Mexicans, which was not answered by our forces. An officer 
was dispatched to Taylor from the Mexican lines. He found 
him sitting on his white horse, with one leg over the pom- 
mel of the saddle, quietly watching the movements of the enemy. 
The officer stated that " he had been sent by Santa Anna to in- 
quire what he was waiting for." Taylor replied, " he was only 
waiting for Santa Anna to surrender." The officer returned, 
and shortly after the battery seemed to open on Taylor's posi- 
tion, but there he sat, indifferent to the perils ol his situation, 
coolly peering at the enemy through a spy-giass His officers 



BATTLE OF BUENA VISTA. 



435 



the battle of Buena Vista commenced. The sun is^t 
that day looked on a battle as bravely fought as 
any in American history. Five thousand troops, DesC rib« 
most of whom a few months before were pursuing tie 6 
the quiet walks of civil life, now stood face to face Feb. 23. 
with 20,000 soldiers, the flower of the Mexican 
army ; yet that little army never quailed, but with 
the coolness and firmness of the veterans of a hun- 
dred fields, poured their volleys with terrible preci- 
sion into the midst of the advancing foe,* or like 
a thunderbolt swept them away in the deadly 
charge. 

36. Washington's, Sherman's, and Bragg's bat- 
teries poured forth an incessant sheet of flame, 
while the infantry sent showers of leaden hail 
into the opposing columns. At length darfaiess 
closed the contest. The loss on the American what 

was tha 

side was 267 killed, 456 wounded, and 23 missing. Jj^J 1 
The Mexican loss in killed and wounded was esti- wound 
mated at 2,000. ed? 

The next day, the Mexican army retired to San 
Louis Potosi, leaving behind them hundreds of 
dead and dying. Among the brave officers who fell what 
on that day, none were more lamented than Capt. 

suggested that old " Whity" was too conspicuous a charger for 
the commander, but he replied, " that the old fellow had missed 
the fun at Monterey, and that he should have his share this 
time." 

* A body of Mexican infantry had been detached from the 
main army, and were being cut down with great slaughter. Mr. 
Crittenden was sent to them to ask them to surrender. He was 
carried before Santa Anna, who told him if Taylor would sur- 
render he would be protected. Mr. Crittenden replied — " Gen, 
Taylor never surrenders." 



436 



polk's administration. 



1846 Lincoln. Cols. McKee, Harden, Fell, Davis, \nd 
Clay. After this victory, Gen. Taylor remained in 
garrison at Saltillo and Monterey, 
in the 37. In following the career of our brave army 
time" under Gen. Taylor in Mexico, little mention has 

what J , 7 

had been been made of the transactions of government at 

done by o 

ne"? home, that the events of both might be presented 
in a connected chain. Shortly after Taylor had 
received instructions to move on to a position near 
the Rio Grande, Congress authorized the President 
to accept the services of 50,000 volunteers ; at the 
same time it adopted measures to increase the reg- 
ular army several thousands. 

what 38. On the 13th of May, 1846, Mr. Polk issued 

procla- 

wm ?£ a proclamation, stating that Congress, by virtue of 
Mr.poik? the constitutional authority vested in it, has de- 
clared, " that by the act of the Republic of Mex- 
ico, a state of war exists between the two govern- 
ments and calling on the people of the United 
States to support such measures as might be adopted 
newfar- for obtaining a speedy, just, and honorable peace 
"bout About this time, the news of the splendid victories 
tune? of Palo Alto and Resaca de la Palma was received 
at Washington, and spread like wildiire through 
What the country. Congress passed a vote of thanks to 
b7c d o°n n - e Gen. Taylor and the officers and men under his 
* ttaa} command. Taylor* was breveted major-general, 
and Twiggs brigadier-general. 



* Gen. Zachary Taylor was born in Orange county, Va., in 
the year 1790. Soon after his oirth, his father removed to Ken- 
tucky, and settled near Louisville. In 1808 Gen. Taylor entered 
the army as a lieutenant. During the last war with England 
he bore a conspicuous part, and for his splendid defense of Fort 



SIEGE OF VERA CRUZ. 



437 



39. On the 16th of June, 1846, a dispute, which iste 
had long existed between Great Britain and Amer- when 
ica, respecting the boundary line of Oregon, was dispute 8 
settled on the limits of forty-nine degrees and the boundary 

J o question 

straits of Juan de Fuca. On the 23d of November, settled7 

7 On what 

1846, Gen. Scott received orders from the Secretary Umits? 
of War to repair to Mexico, and take command of ders did 
the forces there assembled. Yera Cruz being con- scottre- 

o ceive on 

sidered the key to the city of Mexico, his operations Novate! 
were to be directed against that place. He reached 
the Rio Grande on the 1st of January, 1847, when he h doY 
he found it necessary, to obtain a sufficient force to 

J 1 What 

attack Vera Cruz, to withdraw nearly all the reg- ^ c a s tt Gen - 
ular troops from the army under Gen. Taylor. The todlf 
rendezvous of the troops was at the island of Lobos, 
about 125 miles north of the city of Vera Cruz. 

Where 

From this place they embarked to the number of did the 

1 J troops 

12,000, on board Commodore Connor's fleet, and lan " J 
on the 9th of March, anchored between Sacriflcios 
and the shore. 

40. The landing was effected with the greatest Describe 

.... r ? the land 

regularity in sixty-five surf boats; and before ten ln «- 
at night, the whole army had reached the shore 
without resistance. A northerly wind now set in, 
which prevented the landing of the heavy ordnance What 
for a number of days. On the 22d, every thing m^'s 
being in readiness to commence the siege, Gen. to the 

° 07 Mexican 

Scott sent a summons to the Mexican commander ^™" der , 
to surrender the city. In this summons he allowed 

Harrison was promoted to the rank of major. In the Indian war 
in Florida he was distinguished for his bravery and judgment. 
Pr moted to the rank of general, in 1840 he was appointed to 
the command of the southern department of the army , 



438 



polk's administration. 



184:7 



How 

was it 
received? 



Describe 
the at- 
tack, 



What is 
Baid of* 
San Juan 
deUlioa? 



What 
was done 
by the 
Mexican 



ample time for non-combatants, who wished to leave 
the city, to retire, and take what property they pleased. 
The summons to surrender was rejected, and shortly 
after, the batteries opened on the city. From this 
time until the morning of the 26th, the cannonading 
was continued with but slight intermission. 

41. The scene was one of awful sublimity. The 
darkness of night was illuminated by blazing 
shells circling through the air, while the roar of 
artillery, and the crash of falling houses, mingled 
with the shrieks of the wounded and terror-stricken. 
The sea was reddened by the glare of burning 
buildings and the broadsides of the ships. The 
castle of San Juan de Ulloa was girded with sheets 
of flame, as her cannon thundered forth their bold 
defiance. The accumulated science of ages, ap- 
plied to the military art, before Yera Cruz, dis- 
played the fullness of its destructive power. 

42. On the 26th, the Mexican governor made 




am'ificws. 



Vera Cruz is the principal sea-port 
of Mexico, and contains about 20,000 
inhabitants. It was founded by 
Cortez in 1519. Directly opposite 
the city is the island of San Juan de 
Ulloa, on which stands an immense 
fortress, in a position to command 
the whole harbor. Tnis fortress is 
one of the strongest in the world, 
and was supposed to be impregna- 
ble. The city is surrounded by sand- 
hills, which are constantly shifting 
under the heavy winds. This greatly 
impeded our troopj in their attacV 
on the city. 



CJiap. XIV. 



NAVAL EVENTS. 



439 



overtures of surrender ; and on the 27th, the arti- 1^47 
cles of capitulation were signed. The city, and the 
castle of San Juan de Ulloa, one of the strongest 
fortresses in the world, together with upward of 
four thousand prisoners, between six and seven hun- what 

r ' was the 

dred cannon, and about ten thousand stand of Statue? 
small arms, fell into the hands of the Americans. 
This victoiy, obtained with the loss of few men, 
on our side, considering it in a military point of 
view, was one of the most glorious in the records 
of modern warfare. 

43. Naval Events. — The squadron in thewhatis 

L said of 

Pacific, under Commodores Sloat and Stockton, °™ adron 
during the summer of 1846, was principally em- p aC iific» 
ployed in subjugating California; and on the 22d 1846 
of August the flag of the United States was waving 
over almost every commanding position within that 
territory. On the 14th of October, Commodore whatw 

J 7 said or 

Connor, commanding the squadron in the Gulf of °J£a dron 
Mexico, appeared off Tampico. The town capitu- G«if h of 

. , . mi • Mexico) 

lated without resistance. 1 his was one 01 the 
most important posts to Mexico, on the gulf. On 
the 23d, Commodore Perry, with the steamer Mis- Wha j 

' J' was dine 

sissippi, and several smaller vessels, appeared off P e r ?°? ra ' 
the mouth of the river Tabasco, and sailing up the 
river, captured Prontiera, and all the vessels in 
port, without firing a single gun. He then sailed 
seventy-four miles farther up the river, to Tabasco, 
and on the 25th silenced the fort, which commands 
the city. After leaving two steamers to blockade 
the mouth, he returned to theflasr of Com. Connor. 

What 

44. The next day after the seizure of Vera Cruz. atter lh « 

J ' siea:e of 

in which the navy bore a conspicuous part, an ex- cTZr 



440 



polk's administration. 



Part IU 



184? pedition set out for the capture of Alvarado, under 
the command of Com. Perry, who dispatched Lieut, 
whatdid Hunter in advance with a small steamer, to block- 
Hunter ade the port. Arriving off the bar, on the after- 
noon of the same day, he opened a fire on the fort, 
which surrendered the next morning. Hunter then 
proceeded up the river, captured four schooners, 
and the next day anchored off Fla-co-al-pam, a 
city of 7,000 inhabitants, which immediately sur- 
whatdid rendered. On the 2d of April, Com. Perry arrived, 
pSdo? when he found these important posts in the hands 

of the Americans, 
inwhose 45. On the 18th of April, Com. Perry, after a 

posses- 1 

we?e now short engagement, captured the town and port of 
the r !m a11 Tuspan, about twenty miles north of Vera Cruz. 
Thus, at this period of affairs, nearly all the im- 
portant ports on the gulf of Mexico were in the 
hands of the Americans. 

46. We now return to follow the victorious march 

What is 

Stand °f Scott and his gallant army to the capital of 
Twi^s? jy[ ex j ca Q n tne g tn f April, ten days after the 
surrender of Vera Cruz, Gen. Twiggs left the city, 
and took the road to Jalapa. On the 11th, his 
advanced dragoons, under Col. Harney, met and 
drove before them several thousand Mexican lane- 
where ers * ^n following day it was discovered that 
the enemy was in front, on the heights of a moun- 
tain, strongly fortified. 

47. On the 16th Gen. Scott arrived, and issued 
his orders for the attack. The road from the Ame- 
rican camp ascended among lofty hills, whose com- 
manding points were fortified and garrisoned by 
the enemy. His right, intrenched, rested on a pre- 



was the 
enemy ? 



I>escnoe 

Scott's 
position. 



BATTLE OF CERRO GORDO. 



44] 



cipice, overhanging 1 an impassable ravine, that i&n 
forms the bed of the stream, between which and Describe 
the precipice runs the national road. The highest atio:. of 
peak of this precipice was the height of Cerro Gordo 
Gordo, elevated more than a thousand feet, on which {" ™ fica - 
stood a fort whose batteries commanded every 
point in the road below. Several powerful batteries 
were placed along the front declivity. The whole 
of these formidable intrenchments were defended by 
15,000 men, commanded by Santa Anna, who had 
crossed the country from Buena Vista, to be de- how^ 
feated again at Cerro Gordo. 23? a*- 

48. To drive this strong force from a position mies ' 
almost impregnable, Scott could only bring about 
6,000 men into action. Instead of advancing along what 
the national road, in the face of those heavy bat- %g ^ 
teries, a road was constructed, which wound around 

the base of the mountain, to the right, directly in 
the rear of the height. This position they had 
gained unnoticed by the enemy, and on the 17th, they si!? 
secured the two hills in front of the main works. 
That evening, Scott issued his orders, detailing the ^ at o ' f a 
plan of battle, all of which were realized as though 
they had been prophetic. 

49. During the night, heavy artillery was drag- Describe 
ged up the hills, which had been taken the after- tie 6 of at " 

Cerro 

noon before, and when the morning dawned, they Gordo - 
commenced raining showers of balls on the in- 
trenchments of the enemy. Col. Harney and his 
troops charged up the heights, so steep that they 
were obliged to climb, stormed the citadel, and 
from the tower of Cerro Gordo unfurled the stars 
and stripes. The enemy, soon after, driven from 



442 



polk's administration. 



184T tne field, lied in confusion. Santa Anna escaped 
What ia on one of his mules, leaving his carriage to the 
Sta 0f enemy. More than 3,000 prisoners were taken ; 

288 officers, among whom were five generals. Gen- 
what em l Scott also took 5,000 stands of arms, and forty- 
tosl o5 e three cannon. The American loss was 63 killed 
sides? and 368 wounded. The enemy's loss, in killed 
and wounded, was estimated at 1,200. 
done 50. On the 19th of April, Gen. Worth eutered 
Jalapa,* and on the 22d took possession of the town 
what and castle of Perote.t next to San Juan de Ulloa, 



What 
was 
by Gen 
Worth 1 



were left 
oehind 
by the 



the strongest fortress in Mexico. The garrison 
enemy ? j ia( j withdrawn the day before, leaving behind sixty- 
four guns and mortars, 11,065 cannon balls, 14.300 
bombs, and 500 muskets. On the 15th of May, 
Gen. Worth, with 4,000 troops, occupied the city 
of Puebla.* Here Gen. Scott remained most of the 
summer. 

51. On the 8th of Ausrust, Scott moved alonsr the 



dcott 
make? 
Describe 
the 
Ecene. 



What 
move-^ ^ 

Gen. national road toward the city of Mexico. For 

Snr.tt J 

many long miles, the troops marched over a hilly 
road, until, on the 10th, they came within sight of 

* Jalapa is situated on the national road to Mexico, between 
forty and fifty miles from Vera Cruz. It contains 13,000 inhab- 
itants. 

■f Perote is situated about sixty miles from the coast. The 
fortress is to the north of the town. South-east is a high point 
of land, which serves, along with the volcano of Orisba, as a 
landmark to make the port of Vera Cruz. 

\ Puebla, the capital of the State of Puebla, is situated sixty- 
six miles from Mexico, and one hundred and eighty-six from 
Vera Cruz. It contains 75.000 inhabitants. It is one of the 
richest cities in Mexico. It was formerly celebrated for its 
manufactories of delf-ware and pots. Here are large manufiic- 
tories of iron and steel, particularly swords, bayonets, &c. 



BATTLE OF CONTRERAS. 



443 



the vast plain of Mexico. The scene was one 
which, once beheld, could never be forgotten. Mex- 
ico, with its lofty steeples, its swelling domes, its 
bright reality and its former fame, its modern splen- 
dor and its ancient magnificence, was before them ; 
while around, on every side, its shining lakes seem- 
ed like silver stars on a velvet mantle. 

52. The next day they reached Ayotea, fifteen 
miles from Mexico. From this place, the road SJf* M 
to the city is a causeway, traversing a marsh, S e the d 
and is commanded by a lofty hill, called El Pin- Clty? 
nel, which had been fortified with the great- 
est care. Batteries, mounting fifty guns, were what is 
placed along its sides. The army of Santa Anna | a n n n ^, s 
numbered 25,000 men, while ours was only 9,000. army? 
To avoid these fortifications, a road was cut around If 
Lake Chalco to San Augustine, which completely num- 
turned the strong works of the enemy. On the 
17th, Worth's division reached the latter place, 
which was nine miles south of Mexico. Scott 
arrived the next morning, when Worth commenced ZidVl 
his march for the city. San Antonio was three and rt Gen. 
mileg north of San Augustine; and three miles ^a? 
west of this place, at the hill of Contreras, Gen. 
Valencia was stationed with a large force, in a What 
position to sweep the road with his batteries. 

53. Skirmishes continued the whole of the 19th, the"iftM 
but during the night the rain fell in torrents, and 

for a few hours, the thunder of battle was hushed, what 

' during 

The troops remained on the field during the whole |J| ht , 
of that dre~:y night, with no shelter from the 
driving rain. Early in the morning, Gen. Smith the a next 
gave the welcome word, " Move on." The soldiers 



444 



polk's administration. 



184? 



What is 
said in 
conclu- 
sion of 
this bat- 
tle, and 
the loss ? 



What is 
said of 
Churu- 
busco ? 



rushed forward, and just at the dawn of day, 
furiously charged the enemy's works. In an in- 
stant all was confusion. The enemy at first wa- 
vered, then broke and fled, leaving their strong posi- 
tion to the conquerors. 

54. Thus ended the battle of Contreras, in which 
4,000 men routed an army of 8,000, under Valen- 
cia, with 12,000 more hovering in view. The 
Mexicans lost 700 killed, and 813 taken prisoners, 
and immense quantities of ammunition. Our loss 
did not exceed sixty, in killed and wounded. Our 
forces now rapidly pressed on toward Churubusco, 
where the enemy was strongly intrenched. Here 
was a fortified convent, and a strong field-work, 

Mexico, the capital 01 
the Mexican Republic, in 
situated in the midst of the 
beautiful vale of Mexico, 
252 miles from Vera Crut. 
The valley of Mexico, or, 
as it was formerly called, 
the plain of Tenochtitlan, 
is 230 miles in circumfer- 
ence, and elevated 7,000 
feet above the level of the 
ocean. The valley con- 
tains a number of lakes 
besides Tezcuco. and is 
surrounded by small hills 
except on ihe south. where 
are seen two lofty volcanic 
mountains. The city ol 
Mexico is one of the most 
beautiful in America. It 
contains about 200.000 in- 
habitants. Mexico stands 
on the same ground as that 
of the old city, which was 
conquered by Cortez, 326 
years before the new was 
conquered by the United 
States. It received its 
name from the Azter war 
god. Mexatili, and was for- 
merly situated on the 
shoie of Lake Tezruco; 
but that lake has now re- 
ceded, so as to be nearly 
two miles from the city. 
Churubusco is situated 
four miles from .he city 

« few miles west is Tacubaya, a small village, vhe'e Scott and Worth had their head-Qua*- 
vjrs. The road leading to the city passed along by the side of a hill strongly fortihen. calieo 
Chapultepec. On the ton of this hill, which was two miles from the city, was the Military 
College, and a strong fortification which commanded the road from Tacubaya, 1 he road rrrra 
"his lull is over the aqueduct which conveys water to ihe city. Here, fighting trom arc* to 
8r«h. the forces of Quitman and Smith marched into the city. 




Chap. XIV. BATTLES NEAR MEXICO. 



445 



with regular bastions at the head of a bridge, over 
which the road passes from San Antonio to the How 
capital. These intrenchments were defended by "ere in- 

trenched 

27,000 men, determined to make a desperate stand, there? 
for if beaten here, their capital would be in the 
hands of the enemy. 

55. The attack commenced about 1 p. m., and whatw 
continued for three hours. The firing was one the at- 

° tack J 

continuous roar, while the combat lasted. At 
length the enemy fled, closely pressed by our victo- 
rious squadrons, who followed them w r ithin 500 
yards of the gates of the city. Our loss in killed v™ a l he 
and wounded was 1053. The Mexican loss Was both ar- 
500 killed, 100 wounded, and 1100 taken prisoners. what is 
The battles of Contreras and Churubusco were the these 
most furious and deadly in the war. After so ties? 
many victories in one day, our army might have Su 
easily marched into the city ; but Scott, hoping that easjS™* 
the Mexicans would more readily treat for peace done? 
without this humiliating stroke to their pride, 
halted his victorious troops. 

56. On the 21st, he occupied the Bishop's Pal- What 
ace at Tacubaya, and on the 22d proposed an JfsS 
armistice, that the Mexican government might con- 
sider the proposition of Mr. Trist, the commissioner 

of the American government, who had accompa- 
nied him on this mission. The armistice was ac- 
cepted. By its terms, neither party was to un- 
dertake any operation, nor receive any reinforce- 
ments, within thirty leagues of the city of Mexico. 
The negotiations were unsuccessful, and on the 
5th of September Scott discovered that the city w as 
being fortified, in direct violation of the armistice. 



446 



polk's administration. 



Part IH 



184T That, of course, was now at an end ; and prepara- 
tions were made for an immediate attack on the city. 

Describe ^7. The enemy had strongly intrenched them- 

rle of Ihe selves at Molino del Rey, or the "King's Mill." 

Mm. Their works consisted of a regular field-work sur- 
rounding the mill, which was filled with men, and 
mounted ten pieces of artillery. The attack com- 
menced on the morning of the 8th, and for two or 
three hours the slaughter was dreadful. At length, 
the enemy was driven from the field, with the loss 
on our side of about 1,000 in killed and wounded. 
Our force amounted to 3,700, while that of the ene- 
my was 10,000. 

of cha- 58. After considerable skirmishing, an attack was 
made on the 13th on the fortress of Chapultepec, 
which was considered the key of the Mexican lines, 
The scene which now presented itself, was one of 
terrible sublimity. Our shot went crashing through 
the buildings, and tearing up the intrenchments at 
the top of the hill. The Mexicans fought des- 
perately, but they could not withstand the fierce 
charge of our troops, who soon gained possession 
of the fortress. 

Describe 59. Smith's and Quitman's forces now dashed 
up the road leading to the city, in the face of a ter- 
rific fire from the enemy's batteries, stationed along 
the road, until they were silenced. At twenty 
minutes past one, on the 14th of September, our 
forces, fighting hand to hand, entered the city of 

The con- ■«»-•> t» 1 r 

test Mexico. But the contest was not yet over, ior a 

there. _ J 7 

terrible fire was poured upon our troops from bat- 
teries stationed in streets, and from the windows 
and housetops, until night. In the mean time. Gen 



the 
march 
into the 
city. 



POSSESSION OF THE CITY. 



447 



Worth's division had filed round to the left, and en- 1847 
tered the city by the gate of San Cosmo. During ' 
the night, Santa Anna evacuated the city, and re- 
tired to Guadaloupe. 

60. The next morning, at daylight, our forces 
marched into the plaza, in front of the cathedral what 

* occurred 

and palace ; and at 7 o'clock, p. m., on the 15th of ™ x * e 
September, 1847, the u Stars and Stripes" floated momiDg? 
in triumph over the capital of the Mexican Repub- 
lic. Skirmishing continued for two or three days, 
when all became quiet. Of the 10,000 gallant how m 

1 ' o many or 

spirits that had welcomed Scott at Puebla, scarcely °Z>ps 
7.000 were left. The bloodv fields of Contreras, entince 

' * leaving 

Churubusco, San Antonio, Molino del Rey, and PueMai 
Chapultepec, had laid low 3,000 of our brave army, 
and filled with grief the hearts of all the rest. A 
great difficulty under which both Taylor and Scott 
labored, was the want of a sufficient number of 
troops to garrison effectually the different places 
they conquered. 

61. The most exciting subject, during the Con 
gress which closed its session in March, 1847, was 

the appropriation of $3,000,000, recommended by cXed 3 
the President, to be employed bvhim as he pleased, *e<% 
in securing a peace with Mexico. To this resolu- 1847 ; 
tion an amendment was offered, called the Wilmot 
Proviso, which excluded slavery from all territory 
which might be acquired by the United States in 
Mexico. After a warm debate, the resolution passed, 
shorn of the proviso. 

62. After our troops had taken possession of the 
city of Mexico, no important battle took place. A 
treaty of peace between Mexico and the United 



448 



polk's administration. 



t Q48 States was signed by the plenipotentiaries of the 
two nations, at the city of Guadaloupe Hidalgo, 
February 2d, 1848. This treaty was afterward 
amended by the Congress of the United States, and 
ratified as amended, by Mexico. The respective 
ratifications were exchanged at Q,ueretaro, on the 
30th day of May, 1848. By the treaty, the bound- 
ary line between Mexico and the United States 
commenced in the Gulf of Mexico, three leagues 
from land, and proceeds from thence up the middle 
of the Rio Grande to the southern boundary of New 
Mexico ; from thence to its western termination ; 
thence along its western line until it intersected the 
river Gila, down that river until it empties into the 
Rio Colorado, across the Colorado, following the 
division line between Upper and Lower California, 
to the Pacific ocean. 

63. Tims, the United States gained a vast 
amount of territory, stretching from the Gulf of 
Mexico westward to the ocean, embracing New 
Mexico and a large portion of California. The 
United States paid Mexico fifteen millions of dol- 
lars, besides exonerating her from all claims from 
citizens of the United States previous to the 
treaty. Peace was hailed with joy by all parties. 
Territory and national glory are dearly purchased 
at the expense of blood and human life, and the 
untold miseries which follow in the train of war. 
The strength and prosperity of a republican gov- 
ernment depend not so much upon fleets and ar- 
mies as upon the intelligence of the people. 



ELECTION OF TAYLOR. 



449 



64. The subject of a government for California and 1848 
New Mexico occupied much of the time of the 30th 2 a of a 
Congress, in which the admission of slavery was the c e n? oth 

. . . gress? 

principal topic. 

65. On the 3d of March, an act was passed creating 

a new executive department, called the Department passed 
of the Interior. The head of this Department is called jg a ° c f h? 
the Secretary of the Interior, and forms an additional 
member of the cabinet. 

66. The three candidates for the Presidency in the W ho*' 
election of 1848, were Zachary Taylor of Louisiana, 3i- tha 
Lewis Cass of Michigan, and Martin Van Buren of the p res 

o ; idency ? 

New York. In the political contest, the subject of 
slavery was strongly agitated. Lewis Cass the 

J _ fe J ? „ _ What ia 

nominee of the Democratic party, and Zachary Tay- s t ^°{ e< . 
lor of the Whig party, were supported by their re- t,on? 
spective friends at the South, because it was believed 
they would uphold southern views, and at the North 
on grounds entirely different. Martin Van Buren 
the Free Soil candidate received no electoral vote. 
The election resulted in the choice of Zachary Taylor 
for President ; out of two hundred and ninety votes JJ£° the 
he having received one hundred and sixty-three, ful can- 
Millard Fillmore of New York was elected Vice- 
President. 

67. This year will long be remembered in History. 
If we turn our eyes for a moment away from the im- 

* / J What is 

portant events which have transpired in our own f£ Q $ 
country, to the older nations of Europe, we find there 8£? w 
revolution succeeding revolution, the people rising 
in their strength and calling, in loud and indignant 
tones, for those rights which had long been denied 
them. In France, liberal principles had gradually 
29 



450 



polk's administration, 



1 8 ^ 8 been diffused among the masses. Louis Philippe 
Revoiu- an( i his ministry, in attempting to interfere too 
Fmnce? strongly with what the people considered their just 
rights, found they had aroused a spirit which they 
could not subdue. The Tuilleries was taken by the 
people, and the King and Queen compelled to flee in 
disguise to the coast, from whence they sailed to 
England. The Throne of the Bourbons was over- 
turned, and a Republican government established in 
its place. 

S?th? ct 68. The effect of this startling Revolution was 
Europe? tremendous ; its rebound came back from nearly 
every capital in Europe. In Germany, Austria, 
Hungary and Italy, the people roused themselves as 
from a long sleep, and Europe shook to the battle-cry 
of millions, who had just learned they were men, and 
entitled to rights of which they had long been de- 
frauded. Thrones were overturned, governmfats 
remodeled, and temporary concessions granted by 
quaking potentates, who trembled at the storm which 
was raging around them. We need not say that the 
people of the United States, strongly sympathizing 
with every effort for freedom, opened wide their 
arms to those exiles who, failing in their struggles, 
were compelled to flee their country. 
Zutlf 9 69. Mr. Polk, at the close of his presidential term, 
in S part retired to his private residence in Nashville. His 

af Mr. , # r 

p £"|' 8 close application to business had undermined his 
constitution, and a chronic disorder proved at last the 
cause of his death. He bore his sickness with fortitude, 
and although he was at that time of life when he might 
have anticipated years of quiet enjoyment, he met 
death with serenity and without a murmur. During 



461 



his sickness, he was admitted to the communion of 1 848 
the Methodist Episcopal Church. On the 15th of 
June, 1849, he calmly breathed his last. 

70. Mr. Polk's Administration was a most event- „ 

Oreventa 

ful one. The dispute with Great Britain in 1846, ^ ri a n |_ 
in relation to the Oregon boundary, was peacefully S stra * 
settled by a treaty of compromise. The annexation 
of Texas, in 1845, was the principal cause of our 
subsequent war with Mexico ; by which we obtained 
nearly 590,000 square miles of territory, a portion 
of it rich in mines of gold and containing the finest 
harbors on the Pacific. 



CHAPTER XV. 

ZACHARY TAYLOR'S ADMINISTRATION, 

FROM MARCH 5TH, 1849, TO JULY 9TH, 1850. 

1. A brief epitome of the life of General Taylor wt?u« 

A v said ot 

has already been given. When he entered on the xayTw! 
duties of the Presidency, he had received but little 
education in the so-called school of diplomacy. His 
brilliant victories in Mexico, his previous career in 
the service of his country, the strong good sense 
which characterized all of his dispatches and letters, 
his sterling honesty, firmness and uprightness of 
purpose, had endeared him to the hearts of the Amer- 
ican people. His friends looked with hope and con 
ndence upon his administration, to carry the country 
through those troubles which were already casting 
their dark shadows over the land. 



452 



Taylor's administration. 



1849 



2. This year, the United States were visited by 



the cho- the Asiatic cholera ; that fearful scourge which, in 
1832 and 1834, had marked its pathway through the 
land with mourning and death. Although less fatal, 
its victims were numbered by thousands. 

3. The first session of the thirty-first Congress 
was one of the longest and most exciting ever held, 
continuing ten months. After a long and stormy 
contest, Mr. Cobb, the Democratic candidate, was 
elected speaker, 
what of Shortly after the termination of the war with 
Sve d ry of Mexico, a workman of Capt. Sutter in California, in 
ffibr- digging a race, discovered shining particles of gold. 
On exploring farther, the soil for miles around was 
found to be full of the precious metal. The news, 
on reaching the States, spread like wild-fire. Cali- 
fornia and her untold sums of mineral wealth, were 
the theme of every tongue. The most intense ex- 
citement prevailed not only in our own country, but 
?migra- even i n Europe and a portion of Asia. Thousands 
thuher? and thousands left their homes, and departed, some 
by land, some around the cape, and others across the 
Isthmus, for the land of gold where fortunes were 
to be made in a few days. The gold was found scat- 
tered in scales or lumps nearly pure, generally near 
the surface of the ground, in the vicinity of the Sac- 
ramento and its tributaries. Many acquired fortunes 
in a short time ; some returned to their homes unsuc- 
cessful in their search ; others, unaccustomed to the 
hardships they were obliged to endure, sunk to their 
graves, far away from their friends, and oftentimes 
breathing their last with the earth for their bed, and 
the heavens above them their only canopy ; others 



Chap. XV. 



CALIFORNIA. 



453 



still, either partially or entirely successful, determined 1849 
on making California their future home. Thus, in a gj^'j" 
very short time, the nucleus of a mighty state was 
formed on the shores of the Pacific. Towns and 
cities sprung into existence with the rapidity of 
magic. The harbor of San Francisco, one of the 
finest in the world, was soon crowded with shipping ; 
regular lines of steamers communicated, by the way 
of Panama and Chagres, with the States ; and a 
commerce was established in a few months, which 
heretofore, under the most favorable auspices, was 
the work of years. Gold from California, to the 
amount of nearly six millions of dollars, had been 
coined at the United States Mint during 1849, and 
probably a still larger amount had been sent abroad. 

5. On the 31st August, deputies chosen by the 
people of California assembled at Monterey and 
formed a constitution, in which slavery was prohib- 
ited. They also organized themselves into a state 
government, electing representatives and senators 
to Congress. Not long after this, the Mormons who 
had established themselves near the Salt Lake in 
California, constituting a community of 25,000 souls, 
formed a constitution, and, like California, asked to 
be admitted into the Union without going through 
the usual probation as a territory. 

6. At an early day after the assembling of Con- ^ h ^ dld 
gress, the President transmitted a special message, ^ re * 
recommending that California should be admitted meRd? 
with the constitution she had adopted, and that the 
territories should remain under the military govern- 
ment established after their conquest, until they were 
desirous of admission into the Union as States, He, 



454 



Taylor's administration. 



1849 however, made no provision for the settlement of the 
boundary of Texas, which State claimed to include 
most of the people of New Mexico, and her entire 

thedis- territory east of the Rio Grande. The first six 

lussion " 

gressT mon ths of this long session were characterized by 
the most intense excitement, not only in Congress 
but throughout the country. The admission or non- 
admission of California into the Union as a State, 
excluding slavery, at one time bid fair to rend in 
twain that Union, under which our nation has been 
prospered in a way unparalleled in the history of the 
world. Disunion was not only heard at the north 
and the south, the east and the west, but boldly and 
threateningly uttered in the Halls of our National 
Legislature. 

2S?ed n " 7. In the midst of this excitement, fresh fuel was 
cite- ex ' added to the flame by the announcement that the 
people of New Mexico, in consequence of a proclama- 
tion of the military officer in command, had held a 
convention and formed a constitution. Texas imme- 
diately commenced the organization of a force, to 
march into it and take possession of Santa Fe. 

8. At an early day Mr. Clay made a speech to 
the Senate, insisting that the Territories should be 
organized under Territorial Governments, and the 
Texas boundary settled. In the course of the dis- 
cussion, Mr. Clay waived his preference for separate 
whatot action, for a combination, in which the admission of 

theOm- ' ' 

nibusJ California, the organization of the Territories, and 
the adjustment of the Texas Boundary, should be in- 
cluded in one bill. The bill, therefore, received the 
nickname of the Omnibus. A Committee of thirteen 
was raised with Mr. Clay at its head, and in due 



DEATH OF GENERAL TAYLOR. 



455 



time, the Omnibus bill was reported, and thencefor- 1850 
ward contested with the tremendous strength, as well JJ,i met is 
as a portion of the weakness, of the Senate. In the position*} 
Senate, at this time, were gathered some of the most 
powerful minds that have ever existed in our govern- 
ment or the world. When so much was at stake, 
these mmds were drawn out in all their strength. 

9. While the elements of strife were thus convuls- 
ing the country, and threatening civil war, Congress 
and the nation were startled at the intelligence that 
the venerable President was lying dangerously ill. 
He grew rapidly worse until the evening of July 9th, 

when he breathed his last in the Executive Mansion, . 

w . natu 

surrounded by his cabinet and his family. His last t S hi d de tuh 
words were, " I am willing to die. I have done my preS- 
duty." The good and noble old man, who had moved 
unharmed through the iron tempest of death which had 
raged around him on many a battle field, who had 
been unharmed in the Indian warfare in the ever- 
glades of Florida and on our Western Frontier ; the 
Hero of Palo Alto, Resaca de la Palma, Monterey, 
Buena Vista, now at the nation's capital, is cut down 
by the scythe of death. His disease began on the 
fourth in the form of cholera morbus, but soon passed 
into a bilious remittent fever. He was buried in 
the Congressional burial ground, but his remains 
have since been removed to Kentucky. 

10. Thus, for the second time, the hand of death 
removed from us our Chief Magistrate. Occurring 
at a time when the nation was heaving like the an- 
gry waves of the sea, with sectional strife, and the 
mad cry of disunion was waxing louder and louder, 
God by this terrific stroke seemed to rebuke man's 



.j ■ ■ JlL'J'ItrV ! i. r jp ...... _ 

1?£? foltyj for a moment paralyzed the angry spirits 
of rival factions. 



CHAPTER XVI, 

MILLARD FILLMORE'S ADMINISTRATION. 

FKOM JULY 10TH, 1850, TO MAECH 4TH, 1853. 

1. Mr. Fillmore was born at Summer Hill, Cayu- 
Srlf ga County, New York, Jan. 7th, 1800. His father was 
eariyiife? a f armer f moderate circumstances. At the age 
of fifteen, Mr. Fillmore, who had only enjoyed the ad- 
vantages of an ordinary school education, was sent 
to learn the trade of a clothier, at which he worked 
until he was nineteen, when he commenced the study 
of law in the ofiice of Judge Wood of Cayuga County. 
In 1828 he commenced the practice of law in Aurora, 
his h pont an d i n 1829 was elected to the Assembly, and re- 
reer? a * elected three years in succession. In 1832 he was 
elected to Congress, and again in 1836. He was re- 
elected to the next Congress, and distinguished him- 
self, in a trying crisis, as the Chairman of the Com- 
mittee of Ways and Means. In 1847 he was elected 
Controller of the State of New York, and in 1848. 
"Vice President of the United States. On the death 
of President Taylor, by a provision in the constitu- 
tion, the duties of President of the United States de- 
volved on him. 

2. The troubled waters of party strife were only 
calmed for a moment by the death of the President 
Hardly was he cold in his grave when the contest, 
again commenced. After various amendments to the 



Chap. XVI. 



NEW MEXICO. 



457 



Omnibus had been rejected, the bill was dismembered, 1850 
limb by limb, until nothing remained butthe sections 
organizing Utah as a separate territory, which WaS wasilona 

passed. The California admission, the New Mexico pmni. 

. . . busJ 

Territorial, and the Texas Boundary bills all subse- 
quently passed as independent propositions — the 
Texas Boundary bill, giving $10,000,000 to Texas with 
for relinquishing her claim to New Mexico, and also SKa 
securing to her a larger and more desirable area Mexico* 
than she would have had by the Omnibus bill. 

8. Two additional bills reported by the Senate's 
Compromise Committee, were also passed. One 
abolishes the slave-trade in the District of Colum- 
bia, and the other provides more summarily and rig- Q 
orously for the re-capture and return to their mas- Iiave** 
ters of all runaways from slavery who shall take m ' 
refuge in free States. 

4. A bill was also passed at this session, granting 
a certain amount of government land to every sol- 
dier who had been engaged in any of our wars. 

5. Heretofore the brave sailors who have con- 
tributed so much to the glory of our country, were 
liable to be cruelly flogged for even slight misde- 
meanors. Humane individuals had for a long time 
endeavored to have the odious and tyrannical practice 
abolished. At this session their efforts were crowned 
with success. A law was passed prohibiting it, and 
it is to be hoped that never again will the backs of 
free-born Americans be scarred with the lash. 

During this year the nation was called to mourn 
the death, not only of its President but also of one 
of its most distinguished statesmen. Hon. J. C. 
Calhoun died in Washington on the 31st March. 



SKETCH OF J. C. CALHOUN. 



• He was born in S. Carolina in 1782, graduated at 
Yale College, studied law at Litchfield, Conn., and 
in 1811 was elected to Congress, and strongly advo- 
cated the war with Great Britain. He was Secre- 
tary of War from 1817 to 1824, when he was chosen 
Vice-President and re-elected in 1828, resigned in 
1831, and entered the Senate. In 1843, he was ap- 
pointed Secretary of State by Mr. Tyler, and in 
1845 re-elected to the Senate. He was a man of 
strong mind, unsurpassed in logic and force of diction. 

During Mr. Fillmore's administration, the nation 
enjoyed continued prosperity and rapidly increased 
in wealth and strength. 

Little more of importance occurred during 
the administration, except the death of two of 
America's noblest sons and greatest statesmen, 
Henry Clay and Daniel Webster. 

Mr. Clay was born in Hanover county, Virginia, 
on the 12th of April, 1777. His parents were poor, 
and at the age of five, his father died. Young 
Clay struggled on through his childhood, but he 
possessed a spirit which poverty could not crush, 
and no difficulties could daunt. At length, he com- 
menced the practice of law, and shortly removed 
to Lexington, Kentucky. Almost from this time, 
his history was identified with the history of his 
country. Elected, at an early age, to the United 
States Senate, and from this time until his death, 
with but short intermission, filling the high position 
either of a Senator, Speaker of the House of Eep- 
resentatives, or Secretary of State, his influence 
was felt, and he was everywhere acknowledged, as 
one of the master minds of his country. 



Cliap. XVI. DEATH OF DANIEL WEBSTER. 



459 



On the 29th of June, 1852, in the seventy-sixth 
year of his age, Mr. Clay closed a long and event- 
ful life. 

Scarcely had the public demonstrations of mourn- 
ing for Mr. Clay ceased, before the nation was start- 
led with the intelligence, that Daniel Webster had 
retired to his home, at Marshfleld, Massachusetts, 
to die. Here, in the quiet of his home, but a short 
distance from where the Pilgrim Fathers landed, 
the soul of Webster passed to its eternal rest. He 
died on the morning of Sunday, October 24th, 
1852, in the seventy -first year of his age. 

Mr. Webster was born in Salisbury, New Hamp- 
shire, on the 18th of January, 1782. His parents 
were in moderate circumstances, and Webster was 
compelled to rely, in a great measure, on his own 
exertions in his preparations for the active duties 
of life. In a very short time after commencing the 
practice of law, his talents and industry placed him 
in the front rank of the profession he had chosen. 

In whatever position of life he was placed, 
whether at the bar, in the Senate Chamber, or as 
Secretary of State, in point of intellect, he towered 
above his compeers, and was ever the firm and faith- 
ful champion of his country, and a powerful 
" defender of her Constitution." 

At the next Presidential election, Franklin 
Pierce, of New Hampshire, was chosen President, 
and William R. King, of Alabama, Vice President. 



460 



PIERCE'S ADMINISTRATION. Part III 



CHAPTER XVII. 

PIERCE'S ADMINISTRATION. 
FROM MARCH 4TH, 1853, TO MARCH 4TH, 1857. 
1. Franklin Pierce was born in Hillsborough, 

and o " 

S s er * New Hampshire, in 1804. His father, Benjamin 
Pierce "Pierce, was a maior in the war of the Kevolu- 

born? * 

tion, and afterward held several political offices 
in New Hampshire. 
iKher 8 % m Franklin Pierce, after leaving Bowdoin 
him? of College, turned his attention to the study of law, 
and in due time was admitted to the bar, and 
commenced the practice of his profession in his 
native town. Before the end of two }^ears, he 
Ztsm~ was elected to the State Legislature, and, during 
he fiUI the second year, was elected Speaker of the House. 
In 1837 he was elected to the United States 
Senate, but, after five years, resigned, intending 
to devote himself to his profession. 
Sfdid 3. During the war in Mexico he served, as 
J the 1 brigadier-general, in Scott's campaign, and was 
engaged in many of the battles between Veia 
Cruz and the city of Mexico. At the close of 
the war he resigned his commission, returned 
home, and recommenced the practice of law in 
Concord. 

was the 4. He found, on entering the Presidency, the 

condition 1 ° *> ' 

uniSd nation at peace with the world, respected by 

States at 
the 
Mr, 



time foreign nations, and enjoying a remarkable de- 
Sed g ree °f prosperity. Questions of grave import 
Jldency"? had been decided during the previous adminis- 



Chap. XVII. RESCUE OF MARTIN KOSZTA. 



461 



tration, and, for a time at least, the clouds which 1853, 
had gathered darkly around our political horizon 
had been dispelled. 

5. In 1853, considerable excitement prevailed Sf e _ 
respecting an attempt to kidnap, by the Austri an prevailed 
Government, Martin Koszta, a Hungarian by 
birth, who took part in the Hungarian Revolution 

in 1848-49, being at that time an Austrian sub- 
ject. At the close of that unfortunate struggle, So? 8 
Koszta, with many others, took refuge in Turkey, the cas °* 
and from thence proceeded to the United States. 

6. After remaining here one year and eleven 
months, he returned to Turkey to transact busi- 
ness of a private nature, and placed himself under 
the protection of the United States Consul at 
Smyrna. While waiting for an opportunity to 
return to the United States, he was seized by a 
band of ruffians, taken on board the Austrian 
brig of war Huszar, and placed in irons. The 
intercession of the United States Consul and 
Charge' were of no avail. 

7. Fortunately, at this time the United States JJJjJ 1 
sloop-of-war St. Louis, under command of Cap- JSo? 
tain Ingraham, arrived at Smyrna. Captain In- 
graham, on being made aware of the facts in the 
case, demanded the release of Koszta, on account 

of his American nationality, and intimated that 
he should resort to force if the demand was not 
complied with by a certain hour. The firm stand ZmSi 
taken by Captain Ingraham was sufficient, and 3S iad 
Koszta was immediately delivered into the hands 
of the French Consul- General, to await the deci- 
sion of Austria and the United States. In a 



462 



pierce's administration. 



Part Til 



short time he was liberated, and leturned to the 
StatflSland of his adoption. This affair showed that 
8how? the United States possessed not only the power, 
but the will, to protect even her adopted citizens, 
in whatever land they might be cast. 
S?at7 8. In 1854, a Reciprocity Treaty was negotiated 
goTiated between the United States and the British North 

in 1854 ? 

American Provinces, extending the right of fish- 
ing, and regulating the commerce and naviga- 
tion between the two countries, on terms equally 
advantageous to both. 

1853 

what is 9. In 1853, an expedition was sent out, under the 
cZm?* command of Commodore Perry, to open friendly 
tionto 1 " an( ^ commercial relations between the Emperor 
japan? of j apan and tlie XMted States. This expedi- 
tion was entirely successful; and the gates of 
that vast empire, which had been for ages closed, 
with but one or two exceptions,' against the civil- 
ized nations of the earth, were thrown open to the 
commerce and friendly intercourse of the West- 
ern World. On the 31st March, 1854, a treaty 
was signed at Yeddo, which opened several ports 
in Japan to our commerce, 
whaus 10. The bill of Mr. Douglas of Illinois, known 
$Mr U as the Kansas-Nebraska Act, was the most absorb- 
known 8 ing topic of the first session of the 33d Congress. 
Nebrw- kill repealed the Missouri Compromise, de- 
claring it to be inconsistent with the acts of 
1850 known as the Compromise measures, threw 
open the Territories of Kansas and Nebraska to 
the admission of slavery, and left to the actual 
settlers to decide whether they should be Free or 
Slave States. To understand more clearly this 



ka Act? 



Chap. XVII. THE MISSOURI COMPROMISE. 



463 



matter, it may be necessary to speak more par- 1854, 
ticularly of the character of the Missouri Com- 
promise, in connection with Kansas Territory. 

11. Kansas Territory, as originally organized, Ka ^ s was 
embraced the country between 37° and 40° north b=d? 
latitude, and from the Missouri River to the Rocky 
Mountains, containing 115,000 square miles, or 
almost as large as the whole of Great Britain. 

This Territory formed a portion of the vast tract what is 

J r said of 

of country ceded to us by France in 1803, and^ oul - 
known as the Louisiana Purchase. That purchase chase? 
also included all the territory west of the Missis- 
sippi River to the Rocky Mountains, excepting 
Texas and New Mexico. The cost of this pur- 
chase was fifteen millions of dollars. 

12. In 1818, the Legislature of Missouri Terri- w ^ on 
tory sent a petition to Congress for admission into cursed 8 " 
the Union as a State Then came up the ques- ^plica- 
tion, "Shall she be admitted as a Slave State ?" 
The discussion of this question created the most into the 

, Union? 

intense excitement throughout the country, pene- 
trating to almost every town and village in the 
land. The entire session passed away without 
any decision on this important, all-engrossing 
subject. 

13. At the next session, in January, 1820, aHowwsi 

7 J 1 7 the mat- 

compromise was introduced by Mr. Thomas, of p e r r ? om " 

Illinois, providing "that all that territory ceded mised? 
by France to the United States, under the name 
of Louisiana, which lies north of thirty-six de- 
grees thirty minutes north latitude, excepting 



464 pierce's administration. Part in. 



1S54. oniy such part as is included within the limits 
of the State contemplated by this Act, slavery 
and involuntary servitude, otherwise than in the 
punishment of crimes whereof the party shall 
have been duly convicted, shall be and is hereby 
forever prohibited." 
^ditipa 14. In this form the bill passed both Hoases, 
Bouri ad- and Missouri was admitted as a Slave State, with- 

mitted 

v^oi? out aTlv restriction or limitation as to slavery, 
on condition that slavery should be forever pro- 
hibited in all territory of the United States 
north of 36° 30'. 

15. The Kansas-Nebraska Act, already referred 
to, introduced by Mr. Douglas, after a protracted 
discussion, and the most intense excitement, in 
which the entire nation participated, passed both 
Houses of Congress in May, 1854, and was im- 
lg54 mediately signed by the President. 

Spoilt- 3 16* A. H. Reeder, of Pennsylvania, was ap- 

e?B?r°of pointed Governor of the new Territoiy. 

wmef- 17. Every effort was now made, both by the 

fort was J ' J 

made by North and the South, to secure the ascendency 
Nonh 16 in the Territory. Emigrant Aid Societies were 

and the ** ° . . 

south? formed, and every encouragement given to induce 

people to settle in Kansas, 
what 18. In March, 1855, Governor Reeder issued 

followed 7 1 

cuma r -°" a proclamation for the election of a Territorial 
oov of Legislature. From nearly every district in the 

Eeeder G J J 

SeSn Territory Pro-slavery men were returned to the 
g[ s fa^ e " prospective Legislature. On the 2d of July, the 
What Legislature assembled at Pawnee. In the course 

was done 
by the 
I>egisla- 
iure ? 



of the first week it passed an act removing the 
seat of government to the Shawnee Manual 



Chap. XVII. REMOVAL OF GOVERNOR REEI)ER. 



465 



Labour School, and also adopting the laws gene- 185& 
rally of Missouri for the laws of Kansas. The 
Governor vetoed the bill removing the seat of 
government, but the Legislature repassed it by a 
two-thirds vote. Governor Reeder then informed 
them he should not recognise any further act of 
theirs, but should consider the Legislature dis- 
solved. This, however, made no difference, for 
they continued to legislate without his sanction. 
Shortly after this, Governor Reeder was removed onwjiat 

" 7 charge 

from office by the President, on the charge of ReedeT' 
speculating in Indian lands. This the Governor removod ' 
denied, and insisted upon it that his removal 
was solely at the instigation of the Pro-slavery 
party. Wilson Shannon, of Ohio, was appointed ™^ 
Governor in his place. «nX7" 
19. It will be seen that in Kansas there were what 

were the 

two great parties, one, the Pro-slavery party, 
insisting that the Territorial Legislature WaS a great 
legally-constituted body, having the right and Kansaa? 
power to legislate, and whose acts should be 
valid. These called themselves the law and 
order party. The other, the Free State party, 
denied the legality of the Legislature, asserting 
that it did not represent the actual inhabitants 
of the Territory, that its members were elected 
by persons coming over in armed bands from 
Missouri, who were not, and never intended to 
be, inhabitants of Kansas, taking possession of 
the ballot-boxes, and electing a Pro-slavery Le- 
gislature, when, as they asserted, a majority of 
the actual settlers were Free State men. They 



30 



466 pierce's administration. Part in. 



1855. therefore refused to recognise the actions of that 

Legislature as binding. 
w a done 20. When, therefore, the Legislature appointed 
parties ail election-day to elect a delegate to Congress, 
eon-day? the Free State party refused to recognise the 
Act, and appointed a day of their own, On the 
day of election, Mr. Whitfield was elected to Con- 
gress by the Pro-slavery party, and, on the day 
appointed by the Free State men, Governor 
Eeeder was elected, 
what 21. Mr. Whitfield was admitted to a seat in 

followed? 

Congress but that seat was contested by Gov- 
ernor Eeeder. A committee was appointed to 
proceed to Kansas and investigate affairs. A 
why was majority of this committee, after a most laborious 

a com- v J ' 

Tppoint- and searching investigation, in which a vast 
ed? amount of evidence was taken, made a lengthy 
report, in which they considered established by 
what testimony, — " That every election held under the 

was the " 7 " 

Btanee of Territorial laws has been carried by organized in- 
pirt? re " vasions from Missouri. That the Territorial 
Legislature was illegally constituted, and its 
acts are therefore void. That the election under 
which Mr. Whitfield held his seat was not valid. 
That the election under which Mr. Eeeder con- 
tests the seat was likewise invalid. That Mr. 
Eeeder received a greater number of legal votes 
than Mr. Whitfield." Accordingly, the House 
decided that neither Governor Eeeder nor Mr. 
Whitfield was entitled to the seat. Mr. Oliver, of 
Missouri, the minority-member of committee, 
denied the truth of these statements. 

22. Subsequently Governor Shannon resigned 



Chap. XVII. PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION. 



467 



the office of Governor, and Mr. Geary was ap- 185 6 - 
pointed in his place. During this controversy in S>oin£' 
Kansas, the most intense excitement prevailed ernor 1 
throughout the country. In Kansas, numerous 
murders were committed and many lives lost. 
The time now was at hand when the people of 
the United States were to elect a President for 
the next four years. 

23. John C. Fremont, of California, was the JJ* the 
nominee of the Republican party, James Bu-SS 

£ ! ' TV • detLfc f ° r 

chanan, of Pennsylvania, of the Democratic ^ m n ? ext 
party, and Millard Fillmore, of New York, of the 
American party. The great point at issue was was the 
the admission of slavery in the new Territories, point at 

* issue ? 

The Republican party, " while they disclaimed any what did 

the Re~ 

wish to interfere with slavery in those States where p^ oan 
it already existed, yet insisted that it should be Sftl? 
excluded from those Territories now free." 

24. The Democratic Party claimed " that the K e d . id 
Territories should be thrown open to all, leaving pa°ty atl ° 
the question of slavery in the Territory to be 
decided by the actual inhabitants of the Terri- 
tory." The American Party occupied ground 
similar to the Democrats. 

25. At the election, Mr. Buchanan was chosen Eea M 
President. ^nt 

26. In the short session of Congress- of 1856 
-57, Mr. "Whitfield was admitted as Delegate 
from Kansas. 



468 



BUCHANAN'S ADMINISTRATION 



185T. 



CHAPTER XVIII. 

BUCHANAN'S ADMINISTRATION. 

FROM MARCH 4TH, 1857, TO MARCH 4TH, 1861. 

SfarTy 3 J AMES Buchanan was born in Franklin 

Mf il f county, Pennsylvania, April 22, 1791. Having 

chanan? , . , 

acquired a handsome competence as a lawyer 
before he had reached his fortieth year, he aban- 
doned the active practice of his profession, and 
entered^ into public life. He held many high 
offices; having been successively a member of 
the House of Representatives and of the Senate, 
Secretary of State, and Minister to Russia and 
England. He was seventy years old when he 
what was became President. Naturally cautious, and even 

his ch&rac- _ ' 

tor? timid, he proved himself insufficient to meet the 
difficulties which were to arise during his admin- 
istration. "When the troubles arose, his only 
policy was to wait, in the hope that they would 
cease of themselves, or, at all events, that the 
crisis would not come during his term. 
m*t is said ]\/[ r> Breckinridge, the Yice-President, was 
fidg c e k ? m " born near Lexington, Kentucky, January 21, 
1821. He was a young man of showy talents, 
but deficient in all the higher qualities of a 
patriot and statesman. Having been defeated 
for President in 1860, he was appointed member 
of Congress from his native State. Here, even 



THE DRED SCOTT CASE. 



469 



after the secession of the South, he so openly issy. 
advocated the cause of the rebels that he was 
expelled from that body in December, 1861. He 
then joined the Confederates, and was made a 
general in their service. 

f ~ 2. At the opening of Mr. Buchanan's admin- 
istration the country was in a state of great pros- the countr " 
'perity, and there seemed little danger of any 
1 serious disturbance. In his inaugural address 
' he congratulated the country that the great ques- 
tions at issue had been settled, and that the 
1 minority had quietly submitted to the decision 
1 of the majority. Government had a revenue 
exceeding its wants, and, in order to diminish 
this, it had been necessary to reduce the tariff. 

3. On the 5th of March the Supreme Court 
of the United States pronounced its decision in 
the famous "Dred Scott case," which had for a 
long time occupied public attention. Dred Scott JgJBw 
and his wife were slaves, held by Dr. Emerson, 
a surgeon in the United States army; by whose 
consent they had for some time resided in the 
free State of Illinois, and in the territory in 
which, by the Ordinance of 1787, slavery had 
been prohibited. In 1838, they, with their chil- 
dren, were taken to Missouri. They claimed Kgwi 
their freedom on the ground that they had been freedom? 
taken by their master into a free State. The ™&™ m , 
court decided against them, holding that the S3S? de " 
legal condition of a slave in a slave State was 
not affected by his having temporarily resided 



470 



BUCHANAN'S ADMINISTRATION. 



18 5T. m a free State, but depended solely upon the 
laws of the State in which he was held. The 
court also incidentally decided that negroes 
could not be citizens of the United States ; and, 
moreover, that so much of the Compromise of 
1820 as undertook to give freedom and citizen- 
ship to negroes in the northern part of the 
Louisiana purchase was unconstitutional. 

4. Troubles broke out in the Territory of Utah, 
whither the Mormons had taken up their resi- 
dence after having been driven out of Illinois. 
Brigham Young, who after the death of Joe 
JKil" of Smith had been raised to the head of the Mor- 
£ut r ah? leB mon Church, was appointed by Mr. Fillmore 
Governor of the Territory, and exercised un- 
limited power both in civil and religious mat- 
ters. The population having largely increased, 
application was made for the admission of Utah 
as a State into the Union. This was refused, 
mainly upon the ground of the existence of 
polygamy among the Mormons. This refusal 
excited great discontent ; and the Mormons were 
charged with committing serious outrages upon 
all persons in the Territory who did not belong 
to their faith. 

whatw&s 5. At length, in January, 1857, a party of 
Young? Mormons, under the direction of Young, went 
to the office of the United States Court, and took 
away the books and papers, burning them in 
Great Salt Lake City, saying that if Congress 
would not admit them into the Union they 



TROUBLES IN UTAH. 



471 



would not allow the officers of the Government 185T. 
to remain in the Territory. This act was fol- 
lowed by many other indications of hostility ; ™g£Ll- 
and it was determined that Young should De mentd0? 
removed from his post as Governor, and that a 
military force should be sent to Utah to main- 
tain the authority of the Government. Mr. Cum- 
mings, of Missouri, was appointed Governor, 
with instructions to see that the laws of the 
United States were enforced; but to use the 
military force only when the civil power was 
inadequate, while no person was to be molested 
on account of his religious or political opinions. 

6. At first it appeared that the Mormons were what was 

the conduct 

determined to resist; but when Mr. Cummings^ h 8 e ? Mor - 
arrived at Great Salt Lake City he was received 
with respect, and his authority as Governor was 
recognized. The President thereupon appointed how was 
Messrs. Powell and McCulloch as peace commis- settled? 
sioners. Reaching Salt Lake City in June, 1858, 
they found the city almost deserted ; but they 
entered into communications with the principal 
Mormons, who declared their readiness to sub- 
mit to the authority of the United States. Go- 
vernor Cummings thereupon issued a proclama- 
tion of amnesty, and granting a fall pardon for 
all offences. 

7. Although the troubles in Utah were thus lgsg. 
brought to a peaceful close, they had indirectly J^ fl " u a _ s 
an unfavorable influence upon the affairs of the S^sh? 
nation ; for they occasioned the removal of a utah? 



472 



BUCHANAN'S ADMINISTRATION. 



1858. considerable part of our small army to such a 
distance as to render them unavailable when 
they were needed to garrison the forts which 
were threatened by the Southern seceders. 
Kfor-* 8. The relations of the country with foreign 
tifns r ? ela " powers were, with slight exceptions, wholly ami- 
cable. Treaties were concluded with Denmark, 
Persia, Japan, and several of the States of Cen- 
tral and Southern America. An unsuccessful 
effort was made to induce Spain to sell the island 
of Cuba to the United States. The only con- 
siderable exceptions to these amicable relations 
were in the case of Paraguay, and a misunder- 
standing with Great Britain respecting the 
boundaries on the Pacific. 
EedthT 9. During the Administration of Mr. Pierce a 
SSa- treaty was signed with Paraguay, by which the 
suay navigation of the rivers of that country was 
opened for commercial purposes. The United 
States steamer Water- Witch was sent to explore 
the rivers. She was fired upon from a Paraguayan 
fort, and, redress having been refused, a consider- 
able naval expedition was fitted out to obtain 
how was it satisfaction. Before any hostile action had taken 

settled ? J 

place, General Urquiza, the President of the 
Argentine Confederation, offered his mediation, 
which was accepted, and terms of adjustment 
were agreed upon in January, 1858. 
What is said 10. In running: the line, in 1855, between the 

af the island . < . 

of sanjuan? British and American possessions on the Pacific 
coast, certain islands in Puget's Sound, of which 



THE KANSAS STRUGGLE. 



473 



San Juan was the principal, were claimed by 1858. 
both parties. Americans who had settled there 
were annoyed by Indians, and a company of 
troops was sent to protect them ; the commander 
took possession in the name of the United States ; 
the British Governor of Vancouver protested, 
and despatched troops thither. For a time the 
affair threatened serious consequences ; and Gen. g° g w d ]jj» 
Scott was sent by the President in September, tifd? 8eb * 
1858, to take command on the Pacific coast. By 
his wise and conciliatory conduct a collision was 
avoided, and an agreement entered into by which, 
until the question of right was decided by nego- 
tiation, each party should be at liberty to occupy 
the islands with a small force, to prevent out- 
rages by the Indians. 

11. But, while the country was apparently what 
prosperous, the storm was slowly gathering. The arisin s ? 
struggle respecting Kansas, which had been going 

on for a long time, was now renewed with in- 
creased violence, and it soon took the shape of a 
contest respecting the general question of the 
protection or prohibition of slavery in the Terri- 
tories. A volume would not be sufficient to 
narrate the details of the fierce Congressional 
struggle; we must content ourselves with giving 
the most important incidents. 

12. In June, 1857, an election was held for when *«s 

' ' the Lecomp. 

delegates to frame a State Constitution. The £?iS Mti " 
Free State men refused to go to the polls; only formed * 
2200 votes were cast, and all the delegates elected 



474 



Buchanan's administration. 



1858. were pro-slavery. They met in October, 1858, 
at Lecompton, and drafted a Constitution pro- 
tecting slavery in the most explicit manner, and 
containing many other objectionable features. 
Instead of the question of the adoption or rejec- 
tion of this Constitution being submitted to the 
StaT 8 " P e °pl e > tneY were ou lj allowed to vote "for the 
tfthf ed Constitution with slavery," or "for the Constitu- 
peopie. j.- on w ithout slavery." The Free State party re- 
fused almost wholly to vote, and the result was 
tSLX tna * ^266 votes were cast "for the Constitution 
with slavery," and 567 " for the Constitution with- 
out slavery." In the mean time the Territorial 
Legislature had passed an act submitting the 
acceptance or rejection of this Constitution to 
the h Fr? e d * ne P eo pl e 9 an d the result was that 10,226 votes 
state people were cagt ^ggfagfa ft, and only 162 in favor of it, — 

the pro-slavery men refusing to vote. The Le- 
compton Constitution was submitted to Congress 
what was by the President, who accompanied it by a spe- 

the course V ' . 

siden e tf re " cial message, February 2, 1858, recommending 

the admission of Kansas under it. 
■what did 13. After much discussion, a bill was passed, 

Congress m 

do? by which Kansas was to be admitted under the 
Lecompton Constitution, provided that a majority 
Howdidtheof the people at a new election should vote to 

people - 1 - *■ 

vote? accept it either with or without slavery. The 
vote was taken on the 3d of August, and the 
whatvas Constitution was rejected by a majority of more 

the result ? * d •* 

than 10,000, and Kansas remained a Territory. 
14. Early in 1859 the Territorial Legislature 



JOHN BROWN. 



475 



formed ? 

hat was 
done by the 



passed an act convening a new convention to 1859. 
form a Constitution. This convention met atHowww 

the Wyan- 

Wyandot on the 5th of July,— the Republicans ?°J£ nsti 
having a majority of two to one. They framed ^ 
a Constitution prohibiting slavery, which was people 3 ^' 
submitted to the people, who accepted it, and 
Kansas applied for admission into the Union as 
a State, early in the session of Congress which 
began December 2, 1859. The Republicans had 
now gained the control of the House of Repre- 
sentatives, and the bill passed by a vote of 134 ^^ t m 
to 73. It is to be noted that all the members of &T ata " 
all parties from the free States, with but three 
exceptions, voted for the bill; while all the mem- 
bers from the slave States voted against it. The whatbytha 
Senate, however, postponed consideration, and 
finally adjourned without acting upon the bill. 
Kansas thus remained a Territory until January, When did 

v * ' Kansas 

1861, when it was admitted into the Union. S e m ? oa 

15. During- the Administration of Mr. Bu- What new 

i i n n p t States were 

chanan, three States, all tree, were admitted : admitted? 
Minnesota, Oregon, and Kansas. 

16. The excitement in respect to slavery was 
greatly enhanced by a singular affair. Among 
those who had suffered in the Kansas troubles who wa» 

John 

were John Brown and his sons. Two of the Brown? 
sons were murdered, and the remainder of the 
family imbibed a monomaniacal hatred against 
slavery. After the pacification of Kansas, Brown, 
with two of his sons, went to Virginia, where he 
collected arms and ammunition, and gathered a 



476 



BUCHANAN'S ADMINISTRATION. 



1859. band of seventeen whites and five negroes. "With 



Kfat d these > 011 the night of the 17th of October, 1859, 
Ferry ? 8 he made a descent upon Harper's Ferry. The 
} arsenal, containing 100,000 stand of arms, was 

unguarded. Brown took possession of it in the 
night, and in the morning, when the workmen 
came to labor, they were one by one secured. 
They held possession of the arsenal until nearly 
noon of the next day, when they were attacked 
by a company of United States marines. Of the 
whatbe- twenty-two persons who composed the band, 
£ r 8 ba^d? ld eleven were killed, among whom were the two 
sons of Brown,ttwo escaped, and the others were 
captured. Among the prisoners was John Brown, 
who was wounded. The prisoners were tried, 
found guilty of murder, treason, and inciting 
slaves to insurrection, and were executed in a 
mat was few days. It was thought incredible that so bold 

thought of J & 

hi 8 attem P t? an en terprise should have been undertaken by 
so small a party, and it was at first believed to 
be a part of an extensive plau to arouse the 
slaves. It was, however, clearly shown that this 
was not the case, but that Brown had few or no 
accomplices except those who joined his band. 
i860. 17* The excitement on the subject of slavery 
dSeiiTthe g rew more and more intense in Congress and 
Convention throughout the country as the time approached 
ton? for the nomination of candidates for the Presi- 
dency at the next election. The Democratic 
Convention met at Charleston, South Carolina, 
on the 23d of April, 1860. After a stormy ses- 



POLITICAL CONVENTIONS OF 1860. 



477 



sion of ten days, the majority of the Southern i860. 
members withdrew when the Northern delegates 
declined to adopt a platform recognizing the 
fullest right of slave-holders to carry their slaves 
into the Territories. The remaining members 
proceeded to ballot for candidate for the Presi- 
dency, having first passed a resolution that two- 
thirds of the votes of the full Convention should 
be necessary for a choice. As there were in a 
full Convention 303 votes, 202 were requisite. 
Mr. Douglas was the leading candidate, but his 
highest vote was 152; next was Mr. Guthrie, 
whose highest vote was 66. After forty-seven 
ballots, finding no possibility of a choice, the 
Convention adjourned, to meet at Baltimore, 
June 18. 

18. In the mean time, a Convention composed what ™ 

7 L done in the 

mainly of the American party met at Baltimore, JSon? 11 " 
May 9, and nominated John "Bell for President, 
and Edward Everett for Vice-President. This 
Convention declared that it recognized "no poli- 
tical principle other than the Constitution and 
the country, the union of the States, and the 
enforcement of the laws." 

19. The Republican Convention met at Chi- ™{ a 7* s rm 
cago on the 16th of May. It adopted a platform publican 
recognizing the right of every State to regulate Coaventloa? 
its own domestic institutions according to its 

own judgment exclusively; denying that the 
Constitution carried slavery into any of the Ter- 
ritories, and denying the right of Congress, of a 



478 



BUCHANAN'S ADMINISTRATION. 



i860. Territorial Legislature, or of individuals, to give 
legal existence to slavery in any territory of the 
United States. 
tUieldfng ^e lading Republican candidates for the 

caadidates? Presidency were Abraham Lincoln, of Illinois, 
and William H. Seward, of New York. There 
being 465 members, 233 votes were necessary for 
a choice. On the first ballot Mr. Seward received 
173, and Mr. Lincoln 102; on the second ballot 
Mr. Seward had 184, and Mr. Lincoln 181. On 
the third ballot Mr. Seward received 180, and 
Mr. Lincoln 231; but, before the result was an- 
nounced, many members changed their votes in 
favor of Mr. Lincoln, — so that 354 votes were 
whowe announced for him, and he was duly nominated. 

nominated? * " 

Hannibal Hamlin, of Maine, was nominated for 
Vice-President, 
what was 21. The Democratic Convention re-assembled 

done at the 

?oTv°en£ at Baltimore on -the 18th of June. A dispute 
So?e? tl_ arose respecting the admission of delegates from 
the States which had withdrawn at the Conven- 
tion in Charleston, and a large number of South- 
ern delegates seceded from the Convention. On 
the first ballot Mr. Douglas received 173 votes, 
being all but 15 that were cast. On the second 
ballot he received 181, whereupon it was resolved 
Who were that he should be considered nominated, although 

nominated? . . 

he lacked 21 votes of having two-thirds of the 
number of a full Convention. Mr. Fitzpatrick, 
of Alabama, was nominated for Vice-President, 
but he declined, and Herschell V. J ohnson, of 



SLAVERY QUESTION. 



479 



Georgia, was put in nomination. The platform i860. 
adopted by the Convention re-affirmed the Demo- JJ e h ^ as 
cratic platform of 1856, and pledged the party to form? 
submit to the decision of the Supreme Court 
upon the question of slavery in the Territories. 
Mr. Douglas, however, had, not long before, put 
forth an elaborate argument to show that every 
Territory, as well as every State, possessed the 
right to decide for itself the question of slavery. 

22. The members who had seceded formed what did 

the secederl 

themselves into a Convention, and nominated d0? 
John C. Breckinridge, of Kentucky, for Presi- 
dent, and Joseph Lane, of Oregon, for Vice- 
President. 

23. The question of slavery in the Territories What vas 

thn question 

was the absorbing one upon which the election of the day/ 
of 1860 was to turn : though it constituted only 
a single plank in the platform, every one felt that 
it was the essential one, and that upon it the 
issue was to be made. 

24. The Republicans distinctly disavowed any 

What were 

r J J the priii- 

right or wish to interfere with slavery in the gj 6 u s b °f_ th0 

States where it exists. But they held that it was cans? 

a purely local institution, established by State 

laws, and not by the Constitution of the United 

States, and that it could not, therefore, claim 

protection from the General Government, and 

could, therefore, have no legal existence in the 

Territories. Mr. Lincoln, who belonged to the 

moderate portion of his party, had expressly what had 

i i 1 i , 1 i -i A ill Mr.Liwwta 

declared, moreover, that, while Congress had the said * 



480 



Buchanan's administration. 



i860, power to abolish slavery in the District of Colum- 
bia, he was not in favor of this being done with- 
out the consent of the masters. He, moreover, 
considered that any Territory with proper quali- 
fications should be admitted into the Union with 
the Constitution which it might adopt, whether 
it admitted or prohibited slavery. But he held, 
also, that slavery could only be legally established 
in a Territory when it should become a State 
and be admitted as such into the Union. Before 
that time it was under the control of Congress ; 
and, as that body had no power to establish 
slavery, it could not grant it to a Territory. 
STiosTon 25. The Northern Democrats agreed with the 
Km?" Republicans as far as the iurisdiction of a State 

erats? r ... 

over the subject of slavery within tis own limits 
was concerned; but they held that the people 
of each Territory had the same right to regulate 
their domestic institutions. As it was admitted 
that the people of all the Territories were op- 
posed to slavery, the success of this party would 
practically prevent slavery from extending be- 
yond its present limits. 
sSther f a the 26. The extreme Southern Democrats, on the 
Democrats? ^ er maintained that the Territories of 

the United States belonged to all the States in 
common, — that every citizen had a right to go 
into them with all his property, — and that slaves 
being property as much as horses or cattle, their 
owners had a right to demand the recognition 
and protection of their property in slaves in the 



PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION. 



481 



Territories. They withdrew from the Conven- i860. 
tion at Charleston because that body would not 
assume this ground. 

27. The Constitutional Union party, as those what of u» 

r J ' Bell and 

who nominated Messrs. Bell and Everett styled 
themselves, endeavored to ignore the absorbing 
question altogether, and went into the contest 
claiming the Constitution as their only platform, 
and the maintenance of the Union and the en- 
forcement of the laws as their sole objects. 

28. The Republicans being firmly united, and 
their opponents divided, the election of Mr. Lin- ticketf 
coin was considered as almost inevitable, although 

in some States an attempt was made to unite all 
the opponents of the Republicans upon a com- 
mon or "fusion" ticket, with the understanding 
that if successful the electoral vote should be 
cast so as to defeat Mr. Lincoln if possible. None 
of these union tickets, however, succeeded. 

29. The election took place on Tuesday, No- what ™ 

r ^ 7 the result of 

vember 6. The polls closed at sunset, and before theeleotio ' rf 
midnight the telegraph brought the tidings with 
sufficient accuracy to render the result certain. 
In a short time it was definitely known that, of 
the 183 electoral votes of the free States, Mr. 
Lincoln had received all, except 3 from New Jer- 
sey. These were cast for Mr. Douglas, who also to*? 

J o ' the el 

received the 9 votes of Missouri, giving him but 
12. Virginia, Kentucky, and Tennessee cast 
their 39 votes for Mr. Bell. The other slave 
States gave their votes, 72 in number, for Mr. 

31 



wag 

the elec- 
toral vote I 



432 



Buchanan's administration. 



i860. Breckinridge. The number of electoral votes 
being 303, 152 were necessary for a choice. Mr. 
Lincoln, having received 180, was chosen. 

JKjXr 30. The electoral vote presents a very imper- 
fect indication of the votes actually cast by the 
people for the several candidates. The entire 
vote was about 4,660,000. Of these Mr. Lincoln 
received 1,857,000 ; and, distributing the votes 
cast on fusion tickets among the other candi- 
dates, according to the best data, there were cast 
for Mr. Douglas something more than 1,350,000, 
and for Bell and Breckinridge about 725,000. 
Each electoral vote cast for Lincoln thus repre- 
sented about 11,000 votes ; each for Bell, 18,000; 
each for Breckinridge, about 10,000. 

31. When the result of the election was known, 
the excitement at the South was intense, and the 
sentiment in favor of secession became predomi- 

whatwas riant. The Legislature of South Carolina called 

done in c 

south caro- a Convention to consider the question. It met 
on the 17th of December, and three days after, 
by a unanimous vote, passed an ordinance de- 
claring that the "union now subsisting between 
South Carolina and other States, under the name 
of the United States of America, is hereby dis- 
solved." The Convention put forth a long list 
of grievances, mainly relating to the subject of 
slavery. This movement of South Carolina was 
t ^en aw gpeedily followed by other States: Mississippi 
£ e d n e ? atC8 seceding January 9, 1861; Florida, January 10; 



CRITTENDEN COMPROMISE. 



483 



4-labaraa. January 11; Georgia, January 19 ; i860. 
Louisiana, January 26 ; Texas, February 1. 

32. Congress convened on the 3d of Decem- 
ber. Mr. Buchanan's message was mainly de- 
voted to the secession movement. He recom- what did 

Mr. Bu- 

mended that the Constitution should be amended pi s a eT' pr0 * 
so as to recognize the right of property in slaves 
in all States where it exists or shall be esta- 
blished ; to protect this right in all the Territo- 
ries while they continue such, and until they be 
admitted into the Union as States, with or with- 
out slavery, as their Constitutions shall pre- 
scribe ; to uphold the fugitive slave law, and 
declare all State laws impairing it to be void. 
This message was, in the Senate, referred to a what™* 

° ' * done in 

committee of thirteen, embracing the leading Consre83f 
members of all parties. This committee reported, 
December 31, that they could not agree upon 
any plan of adjustment. 

33. In the mean time, Mr. Crittenden, of Ken- wnt™ 

' ' Mr. Crittea» 

tucky, proposed, December 19, in the House of J^2k?r 
Representatives, a plan of compromise. This 
plan restored the Missouri Compromise, prohi- 
biting slavery north of 36° 30', permitting it 
south of that line ; admitted new States, with 
or without slavery; prohibited Congress from 
abolishing slavery in the District of Columbia 
while it existed in Virginia or Maryland; allowed 
the free transportation of slaves through any 
State ; provided for the payment for fugitive 
slaves who should be rescued after arrest; and 



484 



BUCHANAN'S ADMINISTRATION. 



1860. asked the States which had passed "Personal 
Liberty Bills" to repeal them. All these provi- 
sions to be submitted, as amendments of the 
Constitution, to the people, and, if adopted, to 
be unalterable. This plan of compromise was 

EeSu? rejected by the House. 

1861. 34. The State of Virginia now requested the 
Xep e s S otner States to appoint commissioners to meet 
congress? « n & « p eace Congress" to adjust the difficulties. 

Members were appointed from most of the loyal 
States, — none appearing from those which had 
seceded. The Convention met at Washington, 
February 4. Ex-President John Tyler was elected 
. chairman. They framed a plan embracing the 
main provisions of the Crittenden compromise, 
besides forbidding any future acquisition of ter- 
ritory without the vote of a majority of the Sena- 
tors from both the free and the slave States, and 
prohibiting the foreign slave-trade. This plan 
what did was presented to the House of Representatives 

Congress do? * ' A 

and rejected. But a resolution was passed, by a 
vote of 133 to 65, proposing an amendment to 
the Constitution, providing that no amendment 
to the Constitution should be made abolishing 
slavery in any State where it may exist by law. 
wfeatww 35. The forts, arsenals, and other public pro- 
perty in the seceding States were seized by the 
insurgents, with the exception of Forts Pickens, 
near Pensacola, Florida, which was held by Lieut. 
Slemmer, and Sumter in Charleston harbor, held 
by Major Anderson. The latter officer, having 



the forts ? 



CABINET TROUBLES. 



485 



reason to apprehend that Fort Moultrie, where i86i. 
he was stationed, would be attacked by a force 23£5*. 
which his small body of troops could not resist, dersondo? 
bad withdrawn, on Christmas night, to Fort 
Sumter, a fortress more capable of defence. Fort 
Moultrie was at once seized, and strong batteries 
were thrown up bearing upon Sumter, which 
was closely invested. 

36. The question of the reinforcement of these where w ai 

1 our army ; 

forts was warmly debated in the Cabinet. This 
was no easy task. Oar army numbered in all 
but 16,000 men at the breaking out of the 
troubles, and was widely dispersed : only four 
or five companies were available now. In Texas 
General Twiggs surrendered all the men under 
his command, with an immense amount of stores why did 

Mr. Cass 

and ammunition. Mr. Buchanan wavered where w')f t n d ? id 
he should have acted. Mr. Cass, the Secretary chanan do f 
of State, resigned, because the President delayed 
to act. At length he decided to attempt to rein- 
force Fort Sumter. There was not a single war- 
steamer ready for service on the home station. 
'An unarmed steamer was sent; but, on approach- 
ing the harbor, she was fired upon by the bat- 
teries, January 9, and forced to return. 

37. Mr. Buchanan had been unfortunate in the whatfawia 

of Mr. Bu- 

selection of a portion of his Cabinet. Mr. Cobb, ^Sti 
Secretary of the Treasury, had resigned his post, 
and returned to Georgia, where he took an active 
part in favor of secession. A sum of $870,000, 
belonging to the Indian Trust Fund, was stolen 



486 



BUCHANAN'S ADMINISTRATION. 



1861. from the Department of the Interior by a clerk 
named Bailey,under circumstances which strongly 
implicated Mr. Floyd, Secretary of War, as an 
JSgneT accessory. The President ordered him to resign 
andwhj? - n conse q Uence> jj e sen t j n n i s resignation; 

but, although he had himself ordered Major 
Anderson to remove from Moultrie to Sumter, 
he impudently based his resignation on the 
ground that the President refused to order An- 
matissaid derson to return to Fort Moultrie. He fled to 

of Mr. 

Fioydi Virginia, — boasted that he had, while in office, 
aided the secession movement by dispersing our 
army and sending large quantities of arms and 
ammunition to the South, where they could be 
easily seized. He was subsequently appointed 
a brigadier-general in the Confederate army. 

Thomson?" Mr. Thompson, Secretary of the Interior, also 
resigned. While acting as a member of the 
Cabinet of the United States, he had received 
and acted upon a commission from the revolu- 
tionary government of his State of Mississippi. 
The place of these traitors was supplied by loyal 
men. But the term of the Administration was- 
now so short that the new Cabinet could do little, 
and Mr. Buchanan still clung to the hope, though 
State after State was seceding, that the difficulty 

wtetwaa might be settled without actual hostility. The 

Mr. Bu- & J 

™™V utmost that he could be induced to do was to 

course c 

refuse the demand of certain commissioners, 
delegated by the Governor of South Carolina, 
that Major Anderson should be ordered to eva- 



CONFEDERATE CONSTITUTION. 



487 



cuate Fort Sumter, and, when they sent him an 1861. 
insulting letter, to refuse to receive it. 

38. On the 4th of February a Congress of dele-JKX. 
gates from the seven States which had now congress? 
seceded met at Montgomery, Alabama, and 
adopted a provisional Constitution, electing Jef- 
ferson Davis as President, and Alexander H. 
Stephens as Vice-President. This Constitution 
was on the 11th of March superseded by a perma- 
nent Constitution, which in most respects was What is said 

' * (if tho fl<in 



of the Con 
federate Cc 
stitution ? 



main points of difference were that the doctrine 
of State sovereignty, and by implication the right 
of any State to secede, were recognized ; that the 
President was chosen for six years, and could not 
be re-elected ; and that no law could be passed 
impairing the rights of property in negro slaves ; 
and slavery was to be recognized and protected in 
all territory which might thereafter be acquired by 
the Confederacy. 

39. Mr. Buchanan's administration closed on the what fear« 

were euter- 

4th of March, 1861. Fears were entertained by tained? 
many that an attempt at insurrection would be 
made during the inauguration of the President 
elect, and to guard against this an ample military 
force had been provided, upon the advice of Gene- 
ral Scott. 

40. Mr. Lincoln left his residence at Spring- 
field, Illinois, on the 11th of February, for Wash- 
ington, proceeding by the way of Cincinnati, How did 
Xew York, and Baltimore. He reached Harris- ^ ing . 
burg, Pennsylvania, on the 22d. Here he learned ton? 



488 



Lincoln's administration. 



1861. that there was a plot to assassinate him on his 
passage through Baltimore. He then changed the 
proposed time for departure, hurried through Balti- 
more in disguise, and reached Washington the next 
day. 



CHAPTER XIX. 

LINCOLN'S ADMINISTRATION. 

FROM MARCH 4TH TO DECEMBER, 1861. 



What was 

the state of 
public 



dent deter- 
mine npon? 



1. When Mr. Lincoln assumed the Presidency 
opinion at OU the 4th of March, 1861, public opinion was 

this time? 

divided, North and South, as to the best way to 
restore harmony to the country. Many prominent 
men at the North publicly approved the course of 
the Southern States in seceding, and not a few 
even among the Republicans thought peaceable 
separation would be better than civil war. 
What conrse 2. The President, in his inaugural address, laid 

did the Press- 7 « 

down clearly the policy he designed to pursue : he 
disclaimed any intention to interfere with the insti- 
tution of slavery in States where it was already 
established, and acknowledged the validity of the 
Fugitive Slave Law, and the duty of the govern- 
ment to enforce it in good faith. He declared that 
no State could of its own accord go out of the Union, 
and that it would be his duty, so far as the people 
gave him the means, to preserve the Constitution 
and the Union unbroken. 

3. The army at this time numbered about 14,000 



MEASURES OF THE GOVERNMENT. 



489 



men, but they had been distributed in distant parts 1861 * 
of the country, while the navy was scattered m army situ- 
other parts of the world, beyond the reach of 
orders. Officers both of the army and of the navy 
were resigning daily, while many others remained 
solely for the purpose of embarrassing the adminis- 
tration. The civil offices' in the Southern States 
were filled by disaffected persons, and no loyal 
men could be found willing to take their places even 
if the government had possessed the power to re- 
move them. 

4. From the moment of the organization of the how did the 

° Confederates 

Confederate government, the leaders had been work- act? 
ing with great energy. The Congress passed reve- 
nue bills, and authorized a loan of $150,000,000 
secured by a tax upon exported cotton. Forts and 
arsenals were seized and garrisoned ; and when the 
capital was removed from.Montgomery to Richmond, 
troops were at once hurried to that State to protect 
the capital. 

5. On the 9th of April the Southern commis-Howdidtbe 

x government 

sioners at Washington were informed that the federate 

commission- 
government could not recognize them in an official ers? 

capacity ; and on the 13th a delegation from the 

Virginia convention then in session waited on the 

President to learn his intentions. He informed™/^,. 

them that he designed to retain possession of such v^SId* 6 

~ A legation? 

property and military posts as were in the hands 
of the government on the 4th of March ; that if, 
as now appeared probable, an assault had been 
made upon Fort Sumter, he should hold himself at 
liberty to repossess it, if he could, as well as all 



490 



LINCOLN'S ADMINISTRATION. 



1861. like places which had been seized previously, and 
that, in any event, he should repel force by force. 
Scions" 6. I n the mean time, measures had been taken to 
m^e? en place the country in a defensive condition. The 
few vessels within reach of the government were 
hurriedly fitted for service, and in the various arse- 
nals an increased force of workmen was employed. 
About the 7th of April an expedition sailed for the 
purpose of reinforcing Forts Pickens and Sumter, 
— the only forts within the limits of the seceding 
States at that time in the hands of the government. 
On the 8th, General Beauregard, commanding the 
Confederates at Charleston, was notified that an 
attempt would be made to provision Fort Sumter. 
This information having been communicated to the 
Confederates, he was ordered to reduce the fort. 
H?ackon the 7* The attack commenced at half-past four on 
take place? the morning of the 12th of April, and continued 
without cessation for thirty-four hours, when Major 
SaTed?* Anderson was compelled to surrender. The evacu- 
ation took place on the 15th. The garrison, con- 
sisting of seventy persons, was permitted to salute 
the flag as it was lowered, and to march out with 
colors flying. Major Anderson was conveyed to 
New York by a government vessel, and at once 
proceeded to Washington. He was everywhere 
greeted with the wildest enthusiasm. 
MdthisCTOTt 8. The attack on Fort Sumter aroused intense 
AVhut did the feeling in the North. The President at once issued 
a call for 75,000 men to assist in reoccupying the 
forts which had been wrested from the government. 
The Confederates treated this as a declaration of 



President 
do? 



RIOT IN BALTIMORE. 



491 



war, and began to move troops towards Virginia, 1861 » 
with the purpose of seizing upon Washington and ™ d d ^ 
inducing all of the border States to join with them. d0? 
But before they could arrive, the capital was too 
strongly guarded for them to have any hope of 
success. 

9. The first troops advancing for the defence of JJJJjgi 
Washington were regiments from Pennsylvania 197 
and Massachusetts. A portion of these, when 
passing through Baltimore, were attacked by a 
mob, and several lives were lost on both sides. 

This encounter, in which the first blood in the civil 
war was shed, took place on the 19th of April, the 
anniversary of the battle of Lexington, fought just 
eighty-six years before. During the night of April 
20, the bridges along the Philadelphia and Balti- 
more Railroad were partially destroyed, in order to 
prevent the passage of troops for the defence of 
Washington. 

10. Further additions were soon made to the list what wa* 

done in Vir- 

of the seceding States. On the 17th of April, ginia? 
the Convention of Virginia passed, in secret ses- 
sion, an ordinance of secession, to take effect if 
ratified by the people at an election appointed to 
be held early in May ; but, in anticipation of its 
adoption, the military force of the State was placed 
under the control of the Confederate Government. 
The northwestern part of Virginia, embracing what in 
about a quarter of the State, refused to be bound State? 
by the act of the Convention, and in effect seceded 
from the State. A new Convention was called, and 
a new government organized under the name of 



492 



LINCOLN'S ADMINISTRATION. 



is** 1 - West Virginia. On the 31st of December, 1862, 
the Representatives of the new State were formally 
admitted to the United States Congress. A loyal 
government was also established over several coun- 
ties of Eastern Virginia, the legislature meeting at 
Alexandria until after the fall of Richmond, when 
the seat of government was removed to that city. 

11. The State authorities of Virginia did not 
wait for the formal vote of the people before pro- 
ceeding to actual hostilities against the Union. 

SVtHw. Q n tne l& tn °f April they took possession of the 

per s Ferry? arsena j at Harper's Ferry, where they secured a 
large amount of arms and ammunition. The navy- 
yard and arsenal at Norfolk were the largest in the 
United States. Here were several of the finest 
vessels belonging to the United States, undergoing 

NorMk*? re P a i rs » A n attack was threatened upon this navy- 
yard, and the officers in command abandoned it, 
after setting fire to or scuttling all the vessels 
there, except one— the Cumberland — which was 
got off. The Virginians took possession of the 
place, and secured with it more than 2000 cannon, 
besides a large amount of ammunition. 

what is said 12. Among the vessels sunk at Norfolk was the 

of the Mer- ° 

rimac? Merrimac, one of the finest steamers of our navy. 
She was, however, only slightly injured, and was 
raised by the Confederates ; her upper works were 
cat down, and the vessel plated with iron and con- 
verted into a formidable engine of war. 

when did 13, The progress of secession still went on, 

Arkansas F O 

Carolina Arkansas seceded on the 6th of May, and North 

secede? 

Carolina on the 21st of the same month. In 



ACTION OF THE STATlS. 



493 



Tennessee, where there was a strong Union feeling *86i. 
in the eastern part of the State, the course adopted Aniat wag 
was similar to that in Virginia. An ordinance of Tennessee ? 
secession from the Union and of accession to the 
Confederacy was passed in May, and submitted to 
the people on the 8th of June. The vote, as offi- 
cially announced, was 105,000 for separation, and 
47,000 against it. 

14. Thus, in three months after the close of Mr. what states 

had seceded? 

Buchanan's Administration, eleven of the thirty- 
four States of the Union, with about one-fifth of 
the free or nearly one-third of the total population, 
had seceded, and set up as a new government. 
Montgomerv, Alabama, had hitherto been the cap 1- Where was 

° J 1 1 the new capi- 

tal of the Confederacy ; but on the 17th of May ^ n ° f ^ at8 
the Congress adjourned to meet at Richmond, Yi r - State87 
ginia. 

15. In Missouri the Convention was controlled J***.™ 

done in Mis- 

by Union men, and on the 30th of July it vacated aoun? 
the offices of Governor and Lieutenant-Governor, 
and ordered a new election. Hamilton R. Gamble 
was appointed temporary Governor. 

16. The Governor of Kentucky endeavored to m Kentucky? 
remain neutral, and on this ground he declined to 
furnish troops in obedience to the President's call, 

and a commissioner was sent to Washington to de- 
mand the withdrawal of troops already organized 
in the State. This the President declined to do, 
and his course was sustained by the legislature and 
people of the State. 

17. Immediately after the fall of Fort Sumter ^*t pro- 

" clamation 

the blockade of the Southern ports was proclaimed. wasiS8ued? 



494 



Lincoln's administration. 



1861 * This measure was imperfectly carried out at first, 
but gradually became more perfect, until long 
before the close of the war but one port on the 
Southern coast could be entered by a blockade- 
runner. The business of blockade-running was 
d^etodtoe mam ly in the hands of British merchants ; and the 
running 6 " town of Nassau, in one of the British West India 

business? 

Islands, became an important place of rendezvous 
for the small steamers engaged in the illegal traffic. 
t^army d 18. On the 24th of May the first troops advanced 

invade Vir- > ^ 

ginia? j n ^ yi r gi n i a . Alexandria was taken possession of, 
and a detachment sent out to examine the railroad 
^rr a ed°in towards Manassas Junction. Two days later, two 
gInia? Vu " regiments of Ohio troops entered West Virginia 
and occupied Clarksburg. A rebel camp had been 
established at Grafton, and rebel troops were pre- 
paring to take possession of or destroy the Balti- 
more and Ohio Railroad. The rebels fell back to 
^fir e st d en- Phitippi? an d here, on the 3d of June, the first en- 
occur? easement in Virginia took place. The battle of Bich 

What other ° ° ° 1 - . 

Lctionftook Mountain was fought July 11, and resulted m a 
place? brilliant victory for the Union troops. Several 
other engagements occurred favorable to the Union 
arms ; and on the 14th of July the last rebel force 
in West Virginia was defeated at Carrick's Ford, 
and their commander, General Garnett, killed, 
what of the 19. A considerable force had been collected at 

battle of 

Be!hei? Fortress Monroe, and on the 9th of June three 
regiments started on a reconnoissance up the Penin- 
sula towards Yorktown. On the following day 
they suddenly came upon a rebel battery at Big 
Bethel. An attempt to storm the works failed, 



BATTLE OF BULL BUN. 



495 



and our forces were compelled to withdraw, with 1861 * 
the loss of 16 killed and 57 wounded. 

20. The main force of the rebels was now con- where was 

the chief 

centrated at Manassas Junction, 27 miles west of J£ue £d? 
Washington, under command of General Beaure- 
gard. The Union army commenced moving upon when did 

© J o r tne union 

this position on the 7th of July, the main bodySef' 
i from Washington, under General McDowell, and 
another force from the direction of Harper's Ferry, 
under General Patterson. General McDowell 
reached Centreville on the 19th. On the 21st the what of the 

battle of 

battle of Bull Run was fought. During the morn- BullEunT 
ing the Union army was everywhere successful, but 
at three o'clock the rebels were reinforced by the 
arrival of General Johnston, and the Union army, 
exhausted by the struggle and outnumbered, was what was 

J 00 • the result? 

compelled to fall back. Soon the retreat became a 
rout, and the whole army fell back to Washington, 
completely disorganized. This event caused a what effect 
momentary despondency through the North, but a 
reaction ensued, and new regiments were rapidly 
organized in obedience to the call of the President. 

21. Immediately after this battle, General Mc-who 

" callei 

Clellan was called to the command of the Army of mand°? c 
the Potomac, and at once commenced the work of 
reorganization. No further movements of import- 
ance were undertaken during the year. The rebel g^J£f e f£}: 
army remained at Centreville and Manassas, and success? 1 """ 
for some time their advance could be seen from the 
dome of the Capitol. 

22. A disaster occurred on the 9th of October at what of tiu 

battle at 

Ball's Bluff, on the Potomac. A portion of the BaU ' s Biuff? 



this dis- 
aster on the 



was 
called to the 
chief com- 



496 



Lincoln's administration. 



1861. army, under General Stone, crossed the Potomac 
to reconnoitre in the direction of Leesburg. They 
were met by a greatly superior force, and, after 
fighting all day, were overpowered, and retreated to 
the river. There were no sufficient means of cross- 
ing, and many were drowned, and many more killed. 
Colonel Baker, commanding the California Regi- 
ment, was killed early in the day, while cheering on 
his men. 1900 men were engaged in this action, 
of whom 200 were killed, as many wounded, and 
over 500 taken prisoners. 

whattook 23. A battle took place at Wilson's Creek, Mis- 
place in Mis- * 

80un? souri, August 10, between the Union army under 
General Lyon, and the rebels under McCulloch and 
Price. General Lyon was killed early in the 
action, when the command devolved upon General 
« Sturgis, who maintained his position during the 
day, after which he fell back to Springfield, the 
rebels failing to pursue. On the 12th of September, 

mat oo- General Price surrounded a force of 3500 men, 

curred at 7 

Lexington? under c i one i Mulligan, at Lexington, Missouri. 
The latter made a brave resistance, but was com- 
pelled to surrender after a siege of ten days, his 
supplies being exhausted. 

53555 24. Two naval expeditions were fitted out during 

out? 1 the year, both of which were successful. The 
first one, under Commodore Stringham, captured 

wa^ap 18 * 6 the forts at Hatteras Inlet, with their garrisons 
of 715 men and 30 cannon and 1000 stand of 



arms. 

What of the 
Port Royal 
expedition ? 



25. The second, consisting of 84 vessels of all 



kinds, and carrying 13,000 men, left Hampton 



REBEL COMMISSIONERS CAPTURED. 



497 



Roads on the 29th of October. On the Tth of 
November they attacked the forts at the entrance 
to Port Royal Harbor, South Carolina, and, after 
a fight of three hours, drove out the enemy and 
captured the entire armament. 



26. The Confederate government appointed J ohn 



were 
they cap- 
tured ? 



■\Chat com- 
missioners 

Slidell and James M. Mason Commissioners to the federates 011 ' 

send abroad T 

governments of England and France, and while 
on their way from Havana to Europe on board a 
British mail-steamer, Commodore Wilkes overhauled how, 
the steamer, seized the commissioners, and carried 
them to the United States. This event created an 
intense excitement in England and France, and 
seemed likely to cause a war with Great Britain ; 
but the government promptly disavowed the act how did the 

O lit/ 7 government 

and released the commissioners, who were conveyed act? 
to their destination on board a British vessel. 

27. On the 30th of December the banks of the was 

specie pay- 

country suspended specie payment. This event ^K 8 " 
was hastened by the withdrawal, by depositors, of 
heavy amounts of coin, for the purpose of selling it 
at a premium. 



CHAPTER XX. 

LINCOLN'S ADMINISTRATION. 

EVENTS OF THE YEAR 1862. 

1. The beginning of the year 1862 found the gov- 
ernment everywhere actively preparing for a vigor- 
ous prosecution of the war. In the East the army 

32 



498 



Lincoln's administration. 



1862. was mainly concentrated in the vicinity of the capital, 
what battle In Kentucky the battle of Mill Spring was fought 

occurred in ~ _ 1 ° ° 

Kentucky? January 19. The Union army, under General 
Thomas, gained a complete victory over the Con- 
federates, under Generals Crittenden and Zollicoffer, 
the latter being killed. 

\Then was 2. This victory opened the way for further suc- 

Fort Henry J * ^ 

captured? ce sses. On February 6, Commodore Foote, with 
seven gunboats, attacked Fort Henry, a strong 
position defending the Tennessee River. This 
work surrendered after one hour and a half, the 

FwtDonei- garrison, however, escaping. The national forces 
immediately advanced upon Fort Donelson, on the 
Cumberland River, and on the 14th the attack 
commenced. 

fnelfre- 116 3. This work was regarded by the enemy as im- 
gardn? p re g naD i e? an( j was garrisoned by about 20,000 
men, under command of General Floyd. On the 
15th the enemy commenced a vigorous attack upon 
General McClernand's division, pressing them back, 
and killing and wounding many. While this attack 
on the right of our army was in progress, the 
Federal left was ordered to assault the Confederate 
intrenchments. These were carried, whereupon 
our right resumed the offensive, regained the lost 
ground, and took possession of some commanding 
positions. 

f^. is. 4. On the following morning, February 16, a flag 
of truce was sent from the fort by General Buck- 
ner, to whom during the night the command had 
been turned over, asking for a suspension of hostili- 
ties until noon, that terms of capitulation might bo 



BATTLE OF PITTSBURG LANDING. 



499 



was 

the next 
movement ? 



arranged. General Grant, in reply, demanded an !86g. 
immediate, unconditional surrender ; and the enemy What terms 
complied, 14,000 men laying down their arms, 5000 acted? 
having previously escaped with Floyd and Pillow. 

5. These successes made it necessary for the JJgJ*^ 
enemy to abandon Bowling Green and Columbus, on the plans 
in Kentucky, and Nashville, the capital of Ten- em r ? 
nessee. On the 25th, our forces having reached 
Nashville, the city was formally surrendered. 

6. The national forces were pushed rapidly for- what 
ward, and early in April were concentrating at 
Pittsburg Landing, on the Tennessee River, a few 
miles north of Corinth. Here they were attacked A P ril 6 - 7 - 
by the enemy, commanded by Generals Beaure- 
gard and Johnston. On the first day the national how did the 

° " first day ter- 

army was driven from the field to the protection of minate? 
the gunboats, but on the second day, having been 
strengthened by the arrival of fresh troops under 
Buell, Grant assumed the offensive, and after a 
severe contest obliged the enemy to retreat. The what was 

° *> the loss in 

total loss on both sides in this battle amounted to thisbattle? 
3463 killed, and 15,894 wounded. 

7. Soon after this, General Halleck assumed com- 
mand of the Army of the Tennessee. General to what 

« place did the 

Beauregard after his defeat at Pittsburg Landing £ti/et eratea 
had retired to Corinth, which was strongly forti- 
fied. General Halleck prepared to invest the place, 
and prosecuted the siege so skilfully that the enemy 
determined to withdraw without risking another 
battle. On the 30th of May the town was occupied 
by General Halleck. 

8. While these operations were in progress, Com- 



500 



Lincoln's administration. 



Where did 
the uext en 
gagement 



1862 » modore Foote, in conjunction with the land forces 
donfon tte under General Pope, was working vigorously to open 
Mississippi?^ Mississippi River. The enemy had evacuated 
March 3. Columbus after the fall of Fort Donelson, and re- 
whendid tired to Island No. 10. This, position was attacked 

Island No. 10 r 

sur^d^ Qn ^ 16th f March ; and on the 7th of the follow- 
ing month it was surrendered. 

9. The next stand made by the Confederates 
was at Fort Pillow, about fifty miles above Mem- 
phis. Here was gathered the entire naval force of 
the enemy, consisting of gunboats and rams. These 
attacked the Union fleet on the 8th of May, but 
were completely defeated, with the loss of three 
vessels. Fort Pillow was evacuated on the 31st, 
and a final stand was made at Memphis, whither the 
Union forces followed. The fleet, under Captain 
Davis, reached Memphis on the 5th of June, and 

when did early the next day the fight commenced. In one 

Memphis J * ° 

surrender? ^our an( j a sev en out of the eight Confede- 
rate vessels were destroyed, and the city sur- 
rendered. 

10. Affairs on the Lower Mississippi were not 
what was less encouraging than those just detailed. Commo- 

donebyCom- O o o 

Mgu°t? Fw> dore Farragut, in command of a fleet carrying 286 
guns, prepared to attack the defences of New 
Orleans. Ascending the river, he reached Forts 
Jackson and St. Philip on the 18th of April, and 
opened fire at once. After continuing the bombard- 
ment for six days, he determined to pass the forts. 
This was done, in the face of a i furious fire from 
the enemy, with the loss of two out of sixteen 
steamers. Above the forts they were attacked by 



OPERATIONS ON THE COAST. 



501 



the Confederate fleet of iron-clad vessels, rams, and 1862 • 
fire-ships. Sixteen of these were destroyed, in- 
cluding a formidable ram, which had been con- 
structed on the plan of the Merrimac. On the 
25th, New Orleans surrendered, the Confederates 
destroying several millions of property to prevent 
its falling into our hands. 

11. In Arkansas an important victory was gained ^ h e b atu a e s of 
by General Curtis, at Pea Ridge, over the Con- fo e u a g ht? ge 
federates under Van Dorn, Price, and McCulloch. 

The battle commenced March 6, and lasted three 
days, ending in the complete defeat of the enemy. 

12. The operations on the coast in the early what took 

1 *> place on the 

part of this year were of considerable importance. coast? 
Roanoke Island was captured on the 8th of Febru- 
ary by the forces of General Butler and Commo- 
dore Goldsborough. Newbern and Beaufort, in 
North Carolina, fell into our hands in March. On where is 

' Fort Pu- 

the 11th of April, Fort Pulaski surrendered to laski? 
General Gillmore, after a bombardment of thirty 
hours. Various expeditions were also sent outp a ™ 

A done by 

from Port Royal, by Commodore Du Pont, capturing Du Pont ? 
many important places along the coast of South 
Carolina and Florida. 

13. On the 8th of March, the Confederate iron- whathap. 

' pened in 

plated ram Merrimac surprised our vessels at Hamp- Roads! 011 

March, 1862? 

ton Roads, and sunk the Cumberland, while the Con- 
gress, after a resistance of half an hour, surrendered 
and was run ashore and burned. During the engage- 
ment the Minnesota ran aground, and was entirely 
at the mercy of her opponent; but the approach 
of night checked the work of destruction. 



502 LINCOLN'S ADMINISTRATION. 

1862 » 14. During the night of the 9th, the Monitor, an 
Zme™l? iron-clad turreted vessel, arrived from New York, 
reuen j n ^ e m0 rning, the Merrimac proceeded to engage 
the MiDnesota, still aground ; but the Monitor inter- 
posed, maintaining a close engagement for three 
hours, when her antagonist withdrew, considerably 
damaged, while the Monitor was uninjured. The loss 
on board the Congress and Cumberland amounted 
to two hundred and one killed, and one hundred 
and eight wounded, 
what plan 15. At the opening of the year a plan had been 

was adopted i a »/ 1 

nint e of e the' arranged for the simultaneous advance of all the 
H e ow wa 3 ,it Union armies : but, while all the others had moved, 

carried out? 7 ' ' 

and had accomplished their work, the Army of the 
Potomac was mud-bound, and compelled to remain 
until wind and sun had dried the roads. Early in 

March 7. March the long-expected advance commenced, in 
the direction of Manassas ; but the enemy had dis- 
appeared, destroying roads and bridges as he 
retired towards the Confederate capital. 

mat plan 16. As it was impossible to follow, General 

was now I ' 

adopted? McClellan changed his plan, and, returning to 
Alexandria, the army was embarked on transports 
and sent to Fortress Monroe, from which place the 

what was advance upon Richmond was resumed. On the 

doneatYor ^ April the army was in front of York town, 
which the enemy had fortified, and a month was 
spent in erecting batteries and digging trenches. 
On the 4th of May, when every thing was arranged 
for an assault, the Confederates evacuated, leaving 

where did 70 guns in our hands. Our forces pursued them to 

the enemy *■ 

fan back to? "\yilliamsburg, where an engagement took place, re 



OPERATIONS AGAINST RICHMOND. 



503 



suiting in the defeat of the enemy and a further *ggg; 
advance of our army to within seven miles of Rich- 
mond. 

17. The Confederates at once withdrew their whatmea- 

sures did 

troops from all unimportant points and concentrated to sTrengthei 

their forces ? 

them for the defence of Richmond. Norfolk, having 
ceased to be of any value, was abandoned ; and the 
Merrimac was blown up to prevent her capture byMayio. 
the Union forces. 

18. Skirmishes were now of daily occurrence, what took 

v 1 place daily ? 

but our army steadily advanced, securing each new 
position by elaborate earthworks, until on the 27th 
of May the line extended to Hanover Court-House, 
sixteen miles north of Richmond. A severe battle 
occurred at that place, in which the enemy were 
repulsed with heavy loss. 

19. On the 15th of May an engagement took what occur- 

«/ o o red on the 

place between the Monitor, Galena, and Naugatuck, JamesRiver , 7 

and the Confederates at Fort Darling, on the 

James River, resulting in the repulse of the fleet. 

The fort was built upon a high bluff, from which 

the enemy were enabled to pour their shots directly 

on the decks of our vessels. The Galena suffered what was 

the result? 

severely, but the Monitor was uninjured. 

20. The army in Northern Virginia was divided what was 

*> <~> the position 

into two bodies. One, under General McDowell, had defending" 1 * 
reached Fredericksburg, and was prepared to unite 
with McClellan at Hanover Court-House at the 
first opportunity ; the other, under General Banks, 
was in the Shenandoah Valley, between Winchester 
and Strasburg. The enemy, learning that Banks 
had been greatly weakened by the withdrawal 



504 



Lincoln's administration 



What led 



1862 • of his force to strengthen McDowbil, dispatched 
Stonewall Jackson with about 20,000 men to cap- 
ture or destroy him. Suddenly, on the 23d of 
^ h Generaf" M a 7> the advance, under Colonel Kenley, was 
Strasburg? attacked and routed. Jackson at once advanced 
SSSudo? u P on Strasburg, when Banks retreated to Win- 
chester, where he made a stand ; but, being over- 
powered, he again retreated, and the following day 
succeeded in crossing the Potomac. Jackson was 
in turn pursued by Generals Fremont and Shields, 
but succeeded in eluding his pursuers. 
RdidtL 21. The army in front of Richmond was en- 
Potomac ie camped on both sides of the Chickahominy, com- 
munication being kept up by means of bridges. A 
sudden rise in the river having carried away some 
the of these, the enemy thought it a proper time to 
thistle? a * attack, and it was accordingly arranged that this 
should be done on the morning of the 31st of May. 
A portion of their army having been delayed, 
however, the attack did not take place until noon. 
SsSuf? General Casey's force was driven back in confusion 
by the heavy columns of the enemy, but the retreat 
was checked by the arrival of reinforcements under 
Heintzelman and Kearney. General Sumner having 
succeeded in bringing across the two divisions of 
Sedgwick and Richardson, the ground lost was 
jnnei. recovered. On the following day the battle was 

how did the resumed by the Confederates; but they were de- 
second day * * 

terminate? f ea t e d, and retired within their lines. General 
Johnston, the Confederate commander, was wounded 
on the first day, and General Lee succeeded him 
in command. 



OPERATIONS AGAINST RICHMOND. 



505 



22. The plan of the Confederates in this battle 1862 - 
was to crush General Casey's division before rein- For what 

" purpose wag 

forcements could be brought up, and had the attack fought" 16 
been made early in the morning it would doubtless 
have been successful : but the delay gave the Union ho* w« 

' •/ o this purpose 

commanders time to get reinforcements under way, frustrated? 
and on the second day fresh troops were brought 
into action, who turned the battle in our favor. 
Had the advantages then gained been followed up, 
it is probable that Richmond would have been cap- 
tured without further resistance. 

23. The losses on both sides were very heavy, Y hat were 

J «/ ' the respect- 

the loss of the Confederates being 8000, including ivelosses? 
five generals, and the Union loss being about 5000. 
The Federal force maintained its advanced position, 
and finally the whole army was transferred to the 
west bank of the Chickahominy ; but no further 
offensive operations were undertaken. 

24. On the 10th of June our army occupied a 
semicircular line extending from Whiteoak Swamp 
to Hanover Court-House, a distance of more than 
fifteen miles ; the depot of supplies was at the 
White House, on the Pamunkey, twenty miles in the 
rear. On the 13th, General Stuart, with 1500whatoo- 

curre<l on 

rebel cavalry, dashed through our lines at Hanover Juue 13 1 
Court-House, rode to Tunstall Station and the 
White House, where they destroyed some supplies 
and captured a few prisoners, and then escaped by 
way of New Kent Court-House, having gone en- 
tirely around our army. 

25. This event, coupled with the knowledge that What effect 
the enemy had been largely reinforced, convinced £°; e 7 ent 



506 



Lincoln's administration. 



1862t General McClellan that his only safety depende 
SenwaiMc- upon an immediate change of position. Accordingly, 
termineto on ^he 25th he commenced moving towards the 
James River. The enemy, aware of his intention, 
hurled heavy masses of troops against our army, 
whither did endeavoring to cut off its retreat. After seven 

the army re- O 

treat? days' continuous battle, the army reached Harri- 
son's Landing, on the James River, having lost, 
during the retreat, over 15,000 men. 
what did 26. General Lee, relieved of the presence of a 
tempt?" formidable army in front of Richmond, at once 
turned upon Washington, hoping to be able to cap- 
ture that city before means could be taken to defend 

whendidtheit. On the 9th of August his advance, under Jack- 
first action ° ' 

take place? gon ^ defeated General Banks at Cedar Mountain. 
The Union forces, under Pope, fell back to the 
Rappahannock, and shortly afterwards to Ma- 
nassas. On the 29th the second battle of Bull 
Run was fought, the enemy being repulsed with 

August 3o. great loss. On the following day the battle was 
renewed, and, after a desperate contest, General 

what did Pope was obliged to retreat to Centreville, where 

Pope do after r O 7 

he was joined by a portion of the Army of the 
Potomac, which had been hurriedly brought from 
aw theoS- tne Peninsula. Lee, fearing to make a direct attack 
pursue? upon Washington, advanced towards Leesburg, and 
on the 5th of September crossed the Potomac. 
On the 7th he occupied Frederick, and issued a 
proclamation to the people of Maryland, inviting 
them to join the Confederacy, and promising them 
the protection of the South. 

27. The Army of the Potomac moved rapidly to 



this battle ? 



federates 
now 



BATTLE OF ANTIETAM. 



507 



tie followed? 



meet the invaders, marching between them and the 1862t 
Potomac in order to cut off their retreat. Lee, ^f b ^ e 
perceiving this, hastily retired from Frederick and Unionarmy? 
occupied Hagerstown. Harper's Ferry was cap- 
tured on the 15th, with almost the whole garrison 
of 14,000 men. On the 14th the battle of South 
Mountain was fought by a portion of the two 
armies, resulting in the defeat of the Confederates ; 
and on the following day General McClellan came 
up with the main body of the Confederate army 
strongly posted on Antietam Creek. The action wtatim. 

O «/ r portant bat- 

commenced at daylight on the 17th, and continued 
until night, when the Union army held possession 
of the field. The following day was spent in caring 
for the wounded and burying the dead, and on the 
night of the 18th the enemy escaped across the how did. 

° y A Confederates 

Potomac, unpursued. The Confederate loss in the escape? 
two battles was about 4000 killed and 16,000 
wounded; the Union loss, 1742 killed and 8066 
wounded. 

28. The Army of the Potomac was not in condition How was the 

* following 

to follow Lee into Virginia immediately, and the monthsl ' ent7 
time until the 26th of October was spent in re- 
organizing and in equipping the new troops called 
into the field. 

29. On the 22d of September the President What procla- 

mations were 

issued a proclamation, which declared that on the September? 
first day of January, 1863, "thenceforward, and 
forever," all slaves in any State or part of a State 
at that time in rebellion should be free. On the 
24th of September he issued another proclamation, 
suspending the operation of the writ of habeas corpus 



508 



Lincoln's administration. 



1862 - during the rebellion. This action caused much 
agitation in all parts of the country ; but subse- 
quent events fully manifested its wisdom. 
June 16. 29. An attempt was made in June to capture the 
city of Charleston. A Union force, having been 
landed upon James Island, made three assaults 
upon the Confederate works, but was repulsed in 
each with heavy loss ; and the expedition returned 
to Hilton Head, 
fu^on of e 30. In September, the Confederate General 
Kentucky. j> ra gg^ head of a strong force, invaded Ken- 

tucky. He captured Munfordsville, Richmond, 
and Frankfort, and then marched for Louisville. 
In the mean time, however, General Buell, at the 
head of the Army of the Ohio, having reached 
Louisville, Bragg retreated towards Tennessee, the 
Federal General pursuing and giving him battle at 
Perryville. Soon after this, Buell was relieved, 
and General Rosecrans succeeded him. 
^kpSn 31. A severe battle was fought at Iuka, Missis- 
Mississippi? s ipp^ September 20, and another at Corinth, Octo- 
ber 3 and 4, in both of which the Confederates 
were defeated with heavy loss. 
inArkansas? 32. Two important engagements took place in 
Arkansas, the first near Pea Ridge, October 22, the 
second at Fayetteville, December 7, where General 
Blunt completely defeated the enemy after a severe 
engagement. 

what oo- 33. After his retreat from Kentucky, General 

curred in «/ 7 

December?' Bragg prepared to go into winter quarters at Mur- 
freesboro. Rosecrans was at Nashville, awaiting 
the accumulation of sufficient stores to enable him 



BATTLE OF STONE RIVER. 



509 



to move again. By Christmas, thirty days' provisions 1862 » 
had been obtained, and the army was at once Deoember26 - 
put in motion. The battle of Stone River com- 

- 1 When was 

menced on the 30th of December, and lasted three K 
days. During the first two days the advantage 
was wholly with the Confederates. The Union 
army was forced back from its position, losing 6000 
prisoners and 36 guns. On the third day and the 
morning of the fourth the Confederates again 
assaulted the position of Rosecrans, but were re- 
pulsed with heavy loss, and at noon on the 4th of JJ^gf, 
January they commenced to retreat, leaving many 
of their wounded in our hands. 

34. Simultaneously with this movement, an at- how did 

" Sherman at- 

tempt was made by General Sherman to capture ^™ p ^° k c a ! p * 

Vicksburg. The expedition ascended the Yazoo burg? 
River on the 26th ; they landed, and one portion was 
sent out to destroy the Vicksburg and Shreveport 
Railroad, while the other advanced towards the 
city. On the 27th and 28th they drove the Con- 
federates to within two miles of the city. On the 
29th the enemy, having been largely reinforced, 
attacked General Sherman and drove him back to 
his first line of defence. Sherman had calculated why did he 

not succeed? 

on assistance from General Grant ; but, help not 
arriving, he was compelled to abandon the enter- 
prise, and soon after was succeeded by General 
McClernand. 

35. Towards the end of October, the Army of What move- 

' J ment was 

the Potomac, having been strengthened by rein- Ge™M C by 
forcements and repose, started once more in pursuit leUn? 
of its old enemy. The Potomac was crossed with- oct. 26-29. 



510 



LINCOLN'S ADMINISTRATION. 



1862. ou t opposition, and the army was pushed rapidly 
forward, to prevent Lee from escaping through the 
numerous gaps in the Blue Ridge Mountains. On 
X^°at tne ^ °^ November, while at Warrenton, General 
wZ%n\o*i McClellan was relieved of his command, and Gene- 
ral Burnside appointed in his place. A few days 
were spent in reorganizing, and on the 15th the 
Nov. n. line of march was again taken up; and two days 
later the advance reached Falmouth, on the Rappa- 
hannock, below Fredericksburg. Lee's army, pass- 
ing down the opposite side, had not yet reached 
what^cwefly this point ; but, in consequence of an unexpected 
campaign 1 ' delay in the arrival of the pontoons, it was not until 
the 11th of December that our army succeeded in 
crossing, this movement being effected during a 
fierce bombardment of the city from the Union 
batteries along the river. 

36. The Confederates had taken advantage of the 
delay to fortify the line of hills behind the city ; 
and these General Burnside now attempted to carry. 
Howiongdid The attack commenced at daylight of the 13th, and 

the engage- * ° ' 

mentiast? con tinned until dark. Several desperate charges 
were made, but they failed to make any impression 

Doc. 14. on the Confederate lines. On the next day each 
army maintained its position until night, when, 
under cover of darkness, General Burnside with- 
drew and returned to his old camp-ground. Our 
loss in this undertaking was 1152 killed and 7000 

mat other wounded. Preparations were at once made to 

3 project- 

effect a crossing at another point, and the 20th of 
January was fixed as the day ; but, owing to dis- 
satisfaction on the part of some of the commanders, 



movement 
was 
ed 



EMANCIPATION PROCLAMATION. 



511 



the project was abandoned, and on the 24th of 1862 ■ 
January General Burnside resigned, and was suc- 
ceeded by General Hooker. 

37. On the 31st of December, West Virginia was^atne* 

' o State was a 

admitted into the Union as a State. The new State cember ? 
contains 50 counties, lying principally west of the 
Alleghany Mountains. Its population is 350,000. 



CHAPTER XXL 

LINCOLN'S ADMINISTRATION. 

EVENTS OF 1863. 



1863. 



at im- 
portant pro- 
clamation 
did the Presi- 
dent ijsue? 



1. In accordance with his proclamation of Sep- wh 
tember 22, 1862, on the 1st day of January, 1863, 
President Lincoln issued another proclamation, libe- 
rating all slaves in the insurrectionary States, except 
in some parts at that time under the military con- 
trol of the United States. The proclamation ad- 
vised the persons so freed to abstain from all vio- 
lence, and to work for fair wages when allowed to 
do so. It also declared that all freedmen of suit- 
able condition would be received into the military 
service of the United States. 

2. As a counter-measure, Jefferson Davis issued ^hatre- 

' taliatory 

a proclamation declaring that all slaves captured In the Coafede- 
arms against the Confederate States, and all captured rate3adopt7 
officers of such soldiers, would be handed over to 
the States to which the slaves belonged, to be 
punished according to the laws of such States. 



512 



Lincoln's administration. 



1863 • 3. After the repulse of General Sherman at 

wtotwas Vicksburg, the troops under McClernand proceeded 

McClernand? 

up- the Arkansas River to Arkansas Post, where 
January io. they captured 5000 prisoners, 17 cannon, and 3000 
small arms. 



who now 4. General Grant now assumed command of the 

was directed 
to command, 
the Western 
armies ? 



Army of the Mississippi, and another attempt was 
S^filre made to complete the canal in front of Vicksburg, 
vicksburg? in order to pass the fleet of gunboats below the 
city. Failing in this, it was determined to endeavor 
to run the gunboats past the Confederate batteries, 
April i6. as had been already done at New Orleans and Port 
what move- Hudson. This plan having proved successful, the 

ment fol- r r ' 

lowed? army marched to Bruinsburg, 65 miles below Vicks- 
burg, where they effected a crossing, and by rapid 

MayL marches gained the rear of Vicksburg, defeating 
the Confederates at Port Gibson and Raymond. 
On the 14th of May they were attacked by General 
Johnston at Jackson, the capital of Mississippi. 

5. Having defeated this force, Grant turned west- 
ward towards Vicksburg, and on the 16th was con- 
fronted by General Pemberton, at Baker's Creek. 

what battles A battle ensued, which resulted in the defeat of 

followed this 7 

movement? p em k erton yfifa k eav y i oss# () n tne following day 
May 17. the Confederate general was again defeated, at 
Black River Bridge, 10 miles from Vicksburg. In 
these two actions Grant captured 46 pieces of 
artillery. 

when was 6. On the 18th of May, Vicksburg was closely 

the invest- 

^ e ? ntperfect ' invested, the fleet under Admiral Porter guarding 
the river above and below. Two attempts were 
made to capture the town by assault, both of which 



CAPTURE OF VICKSBURG. 



513 



terms < 
the town sur 
rendered? 



were unsuccessful, and entailed severe loss on the 1863 
army. No further fighting of moment occurred 
until June 25, when General McPherson captured 
one of the forts. On the 3d of July Generals on what 
Grant and Pemberton had an interview, which re 
suited in the unconditional surrender of the city on 
the following day. The garrison consisted of 
31,277 officers and men, with 200 pieces of artillery 
and 60,000 small arms. 

7. During the siege of Vicksburg, General Grier- JJjjJS* 
son made one of the most remarkable cavalry raids Griersondo? 
of the war. Leaving La Grange, Tennessee, he 
traversed the entire State of Mississippi, a distance 

of 800 miles, and reached Baton Rouge in fourteen 
days, having destroyed 4,000,000 dollars' worth of 
property and captured 1000 prisoners. 

8. On the 8th of July, Port Hudson, which had when did 

** 7 7 Port Hudson 

been for some time closely invested, surrendered to fall? 
General Banks, with its garrison and stores and 51 
pieces of artillery. This was the last stronghold 
of the Confederates on the Mississippi ; and its loss what effect 

11 ' had these 

was the more severe from the fact that most of the the'oonfX 
supplies for their armies were drawn from the country 
west of the Mississippi. 

9. After the battle of Stone River, Bragg had WM * ner did 

' oo Bragg now 

retired to strongly fortified positions at Tullahoma retire? 
and Shelby ville. ,By skilful movements Rosecrans How was he 

. dislodged'.' 

compelled him to fall back to Chattanooga. Thither 
Rosecrans followed him, and Bragg again retreated. 
Chattanooga was occupied by the Union army, Sep- 
tember 9, and the army at once pushed on to 
Chickamauga Creek, 10 miles beyond, Bragg, 



514 



Lincoln's administration. 



1863 • having been reinforced, now assumed the offensive, 
what en- and on the 19th and 20th of September fought the 

gagenient r ° 

followed? battle of Chickamauga. The Confederate forces 
SerS? were greatly superior in numbers, and the Union 
army was saved from total rout only by the bravery 
of the division of General Thomas. On the 21st 
the army retreated to Chattanooga, which was at 
once fortified. The Union loss in this battle 
amounted to 16,000, and the Confederate loss to 
18,000. 

10. This reverse placed the Union army in a pre- 
carious position. The enemy had advanced on 
Chattanooga and fortified the heights of Missionary 
Ridge, which overlooked the town. The army was 
short of provisions, and its communication with 
Nashville was frequently interrupted. General 
^ hat ... Grant now hastened to the scene. Rosecrans was 

changes did 

Grantmake? removed, Thomas was appointed to the command, 
and measures were taken to dislodge the enemy. 

when was 11. On the 29th of October the enemy's position 

capered 1 ? at Lookout Mountain was carried by assault, and 
on the 24th and 25th of November they were 
driven from Missionary Ridge and compelled to re- 
treat to Dalton. 

what was 12. During the early part of 1863 the two 

the situation] ° * * 

eariyiS? armies in Virginia remained opposite each other on 
the Rappahannock at Fredericksburg, neither seem- 
ing inclined to give battle. On the 26th of April, 
General Hooker despatched a strong cavalry force, 
under General Stoneman, to cut the enemy's com- 
munications with Richmond ; and at the same time 
the Army of the Potomac crossed the river a few 



INVASION OF PENNSYLVANIA. 



515 



■What en- 
gagement 
followed? 



miles above Fredericksburg. This movement com- 1863 « 
pelled Lee to leave his intrenchments and give what move 
battle in the open field. The two armies met atK£V? n " 
Chancellorville, where a sanguinary battle was 
fought, May 2 and 3. On the 5th, General 
Hooker recrossed the river, having failed to turn 
the enemy's position. The cavalry expedition sent 
out at the commencement of the movement suc- 
ceeded in destroying the railroads to Richmond, 
but not until after reinforcements had reached Lee. what was 

done by 

A portion of the force advanced within two miles of cavalry? 
Richmond, capturing some prisoners within the forti- 
fications of the city, and then escaped by way of 
the Peninsula, after having destroyed several miles 
of railroad, and much other property. 

13. Early in June, General Lee moved northward what 
again. The route taken was west of the Blue Ridge, 
and through the Shenandoah Valley. General Hooker 
followed by way of Warrenton Junction and Tho- 
roughfare Gap, occasionally skirmishing with the 
enemy. Lee's advance crossed the Potomac at Wil- 
liamsport on the 14th, and the main body crossed on 
the 27th. They at once advanced through Mary- 
land into Pennsylvania. York, Gettysburg, and 
Carlisle were successively occupied. The Army of ^f^* 9 
the Potomac, meanwhile, followed closely. On the ^7 8 
27th, Frederick City was occupied, and General 
Meade succeeded General Hooker in command. 
On the 29th of June the Confederates massed their where did 

the On rede- 
forCeS at Gettysburg, and awaited the movements of [rate? aoncen ' 

the Union army, which advanced from Emmettsburg 

on the 30th of June. 



move- 
ment did Lee 
make? 



516 



LINCOLN'S ADMINISTRATION. 



1863 • 14. The battle commenced at nine in the morn- 
whatim. ing, and continued until four P. M., the Confederates 

portant bat- 7 

fought in holding their ground and driving our forces back 
vania? some distance. In the early part of the fight 
General Reynolds was killed, and his command 
devolved on General Doubleday. During the night 
what was additional troops arrived, and at noon of the 2d 

the result * ' 

day? General Meade, with the reserves, came upon the 
ground. At four o'clock the Confederates attacked 
the left of the Union position, driving our forces 
back, until the arrival of reinforcements enabled 
them to regain their position. The right was now 
attacked furiously, the conflict lasting until ten P. M., 
when the Confederates retired. 

15. On the 3d the battle was opened by General 
Meade. A heavy infantry attack was made by the 
Confederates upon our right, which was for a time 
overpowered, but soon rallied and regained their 
position. The battle was now suspended until one 
o'clock, when it was resumed by a fierce cannonade, 
and repeated charges upon the Union lines, which 

how did the were gallantly repulsed : and at five o'clock the Con- 

battleend? ° * r 7 

federates retired, leaving the Union army in posses- 
sion of the field. The Confederates commenced to 
retreat during the night. Their pontoon bridges at 
Harper's Ferry having been destroyed by General 
thecoufede 1 French, Lee proceeded to Williamsport, where 
ratesretreat? Q^^g were constructed of canal-boats and lumber, 
and on the 14th he succeeded in recrossing the 
whatiosses Potomac, having lost since entering Maryland over 
mies^ sustain 30, 000 men. The Union loss was severe, numbering 
" aule? about 20,000. 



DRAFT RIOTS IN NEW YORK. 



517 



16. Lee now made his way to the Rapidan, 1863 » 
where he fortified in anticipation of further pursuit. P a *P ?- 

i- J- tion did. Lee 

General Meade, however, halted at Culpepper, no t nowoccupy? 
deeming it prudent to attack Lee in his intrench- 
nients. 

17. In October, Lee again advanced on General what did 

' ° Lee again 

Meade, who retired to Bull Run. The Confederates, attempt? 
having failed to turn his flank, contented them- 
selves with destroying the railroads, and then re- 
sumed their former position. 

18. On the 13th of July of this year a terrible ■What oc- 

" " curred in 

riot, in opposition to the draft, broke out in one of NewYork? 
the upper districts of New York City. The office 
of the district provost-marshal was destroyed, the 
draft-officers were maltreated, negroes were as- 
saulted, beaten, and hanged in the streets, many 
buildings were sacked, and the Colored Orphan 
Asylum was burned. About 100 persons were 
killed during the four days' reign of terror, and 
order was finally secured only by the presence of 
the military force of the government. 

19. The tide of success had now fairly-turned in what was 

" 9 the general 

favor of the Union. Arkansas was cleared of Con- XiMatuL 

federates by September, and its capital occupied m 

by General Steele. In June, General Mors an m- "Who invaded 

J 7 m t ° Ohio? 

vaded Indiana and Ohio, but his band was dispersed 

and he was captured and imprisoned. In East what was 

1 A done at 

Tennessee, General Longstreet besieged Knoxville, KnoxviUe? 
but was compelled to raise the siege and retreat to 
Virginia to escape capture. 

20. In April another effort was made to capture Describe the 

■>• -t operations at 

Fort Sumter. The force employed consisted of CharIeston ' 



518 



Lincoln's administration. 



1863. nme monitors, with the New Ironsides and the 
Keokuk. The latter vessel was so badly damaged 
that she sunk, and two monitors were slightly 
injured. The operations around Charleston were 
now placed in the hands of General Gillmore. On 
the 10th of July he landed on Morris Island, and 
at once commenced the siege of Fort Wagner. He 
also established batteries bearing on Fort Sumter, 
and on the 17th of August commenced the bombard- 
ment of that fort. At the end of ten days it was 
reduced to a shapeless mass of ruins. On the 6th 
of September, Fort Wagner was evacuated. Thence- 
forward the siege of Charleston was kept up, with- 
out any noticeable event, until the evacuation of 
the city in February, 1865. 



CHAPTER XXII. 

LINCOLN'S ADMINISTKATION. 

• EVENTS OF THE YEAR 1864. 

1864. 

1. The year 1864 witnessed a change in the 
conduct of military operations that promised more 
favorable results than had been obtained through the 
how aid previous system. The Confederates had managed 

the Confede- * " . , . ° 

cretsiuieir hitherto to transfer parts oi their armies to the 
strength? eag ^. Qr ^ wes ^ as ^ e situation demanded, and 

thus, while actually possessing a smaller army, they 
were able to concentrate a superior force at any 
threatened point. The appointment of General 



BATTLE OF OLUSTEE. 



519 



tages arose 
the ap- 
tnient of 
Grant to the 
chief coni- 
maud? 



Grant to the rank of lieutenant-general and com- 1864 
mander-in-chief gave him control over the move- what advan 

a tages arose 

ments of all the departments, and secured that *™£ 
uniformity of action so necessary to success. 

2. A large number of prisoners held by the 
Confederates were confined at Richmond. In 
February an attempt was made by General Butler what move- 
to liberate them ; but, the enemy having learned of KkeT 
the movement through a deserter, the design was 
frustrated. 

3. On the 5th of February an expedition left what of the 

«/ J- Florida expe- 

Port Royal for the purpose of establishing the dition7 
national authority in Florida. The expedition 
reached Jacksonville on the 8th, and at once pro- 
ceeded to the interior. On the 20th our forces 
were met at Olustee by the Confederates, and after 
a brief engagement were completely defeated, with™ was 

Of t «/ 7 the result? 

the loss of 1200 men. 

4. An expedition, commanded by General Sher- 

man, left Vicksburg on the 3d of February, and fex ™ onT 
proceeded as far as Meridian, destroying all the 
railroads and public property within reach. An- 
other expedition, under General W. S. Smith, gSawSr 
designed to co-operate with Sherman, moved from SSSSKiiii 

° 1 ' time? 

Memphis on the 11th and proceeded as far as JSSSSw?! 
Okalona, on the Mobile and Ohio Railroad. Here 
General Smith was confronted by a superior force 
of the enemy, and was compelled to retreat. The 
expedition, closely pursued by the Confederates, 
returned to Memphis, with the loss of 200 men in 
killed and prisoners. 

5. On the 10th of March, General A. J. Smith 



520 



LINCOLN'S ADMINISTRATION. 



1864. conducted an expedition to the Red River country. 
K«vef e Proceeding up that river, he captured Fort de 
fcxpedmon? j^ usse y on 12th. He then advanced to Alex 
Where did andria, where General Banks ioined him, and the 

Banks join . . 

it? combined forces proceeded some thirty miles farther 
to Cane River, where they defeated the Confede- 
rates under General Dick Taylor. Proceeding 
onward, they reached Grand Ecore on the 6th of 
April. On the 8th, at Pleasant Hill, 50 miles 

HuiT nt from Shreveport, they were surprised by a large 
body of Confederates, and were defeated after a 
short engagement. The next day another engage- 
ment took place, resulting more favorably ; but the 
army was obliged to withdraw, and finally returned 
to New Orleans. 

What was 6. Taking advantage of the absence of the main 

done by the \ ° ° 

fnTeS 163 body of Sherman's army on the Red River expe- 
dition, the Confederates, under General Forrest, 
made an incursion into Tennessee. On the 12th 
of April they attacked Fort Pillow, and carried the 
place by assault. The garrison consisted of 557 
men, of whom 260 were colored. The surrender 
was followed by an indiscriminate slaughter of the 
what out- garrison; nearly 400 were killed, the greater part 
m™y%?' of whom were butchered after the surrender of the 

Pillow? „ 

fort. 

whatim- 7. Congress on the 29th of February passed a 

portant mea- . 

^ d p a ^ s ° 7 n " bill reviving the rank of lieutenant-general. On 
the same day the President appointed General 
Grant to the position, and on the 9th of March he 
was made commander-in-chief of the armies of the 
United States. At the time of his appointment he 



BATTLE OF SPOTTSYLVANIA. 



521 



was in command of the Division of the Mississippi ; 1864, 
but he at once proceeded to Washington, and until ^hat .follow- 

r o 7 e d Grant's 

the close of the war was constantly with the Army promotiou7 
of the Potomac. 

8. The operations of the Army of the Potomac when did 

1 the Army of 

were confined principally to skirmishing and raids, comment 
until the 3d of May, when a forward movement ti c ons e ? opera 



did Lee 
all back ? 



was commenced. The Rapidan was crossed at May* 

Jl In what 

Germania and Ely's Fords, 12 miles east of Cul- t^tZ^ 
pepper, where Lee's army was intrenched. On the SKJjjP* 
5th, Lee advanced and gave battle, but failed to 
dislodge Grant or break his lines. On the morn- 
ing of the 6th, Lee again attacked, the fight con- 
tinuing until nightfall ; but the result was the same 
as on the previous day. Several times our army 
was on the point of giving way, but was promptly 
rallied, and maintained its ground, and in some 
instances had gained a little from the enemy. 

9. On Saturday, the 7th, Grant found that Lee Jo what 
had abandoned the contest and was retiring in per 
feet order to Spottsylvania Court-House. At this 
point they halted, prepared to dispute the further 
advance of the Union army. On the 8th and 9th 
the fighting was sharp, but no general engagement 
took place. On the latter day General Sedgwick 
was killed while posting a battery of artillery. 
The 10th was spent in heavy cannonading, but 
without decisive results. On the 12th, General what.™* 

cess did Gen- 

Hancock captured a portion of the Confederate S? ancocl£ 
line, including an entire division of the enemy. A how were 

° * operations 

severe storm now set in, which interrupted opera- imerru P tedT 
tions for several days, and the time was spent by 



522 



Lincoln's administration. 



1864 » both combatants in strengthening their positions 
and bringing up reinforcements. 
When were 10. On the 18th, hostilities were renewed, when 

hostilities 

renewed? Hancock gained possession of two lines of intrench- 
ments. On the 19th, the enemy attempted to turn 
Grant's right flank and capture his supply-trains, 
but were repulsed through the gallantry of Tyler's 
division. 

pere did H. Having failed to draw Lee out from his 

Grant now CD 

move? intrenchments, Grant again moved forward, and 
on the 21st occupied Bowling Green. On Monday, 
the 23d, he crossed the North Anna River, having 
first driven off a considerable force of the enemy 

how did the posted to prevent his crossing. The enemy by this 

enemy 1 1 <-> •/ • «/ 

oppose win? ^ me k a( j taken U p a position on the north bank of 
what did the South Anna River. General Grant, instead of 

Graut now 

assaulting this new line, at once recrossed the 
North Anna, and proceeded to Hanovertown, on 
the Pamunkey, where he crossed that river and 
established his base of supplies at White House. 
The battle of Cold Harbor was fought June 3. A 
series of engagements occurred here lasting until 
the 7th, in which neither army gained any ad- 
vantage. 

What change 12. The attempt to capture Richmond from this 

of plan en- 
sued? point was now abandoned, and on the 15th Grant 

transferred his army to the south side of the James 

River, and marched at once against Petersburg. 

On the 10th of June, General Kautz, at the head 

of a cavalry force, captured one line of the defences 

of Petersburg, but, the infantry supports failing to 

come up in time, he was obliged to withdraw. 



OPEKATIONS AGAINST KICHMOND. 



523 



13. Grant now occupied a position extending 
from the Appomattox on the east of Petersburg to ^ o h n a '.p d ° si - 
near the Weldon Railroad on the south, while £j, H U pyt 0W 
General Butler was posted on the north bank of 

the Appomattox, threatening the railroad between 
Petersburg and Richmond. On the 22d of June 
an effort was made to gain possession of the 
Weldon Railroad, but the movement was anticipated 
by the enemy, and our forces were driven back, with 
the loss of 4 suns. A cavalry expedition, however, What was 

° " 1 7 7 done by the 

succeeded in reaching the road at Ream's Station, cavalr y 7 
11 miles from Petersburg, where they tore up the 
track for several miles. Passing on, the following 
day they reached the Danville and Lynchburg Rail- 
road, the track of which they also damaged con- 
siderably, after which they returned. 

14. Several weeks were now spent in preparing what prep*. 

° rations were 

for a grand assault. The works were gradually nowmade? 
pushed closer, and in one place a mine was run 
a distance of 400 feet until it reached the Con- 
federate works. In this eight tons of powder were 
placed. On the morning of the 27th, the prepara- 
tions having been completed, the mine was ex- 
ploded. This was followed by a terrific cannonade, 
in the midst of which the assault was made. The What was 

the result? 

troops rushed for the opening made by the ex- 
plosion, but, when they reached it, some delay 
occurred, which gave the enemy time to rally, and 
enabled them to repulse the advancing column. 
Other assaults followed, but failed, and the effort was 
abandoned. The Union loss is estimated at 6000 
men. The next movement of importance was the 



524 



Lincoln's administration. 



"Was he 
cessful? 



What was 
done on the 



1864 - extension of the line to White Oak Swamp, followed 
by a battle on the 13th of August. On the 18th, 
while the Confederates were confronting Grant 
Ktnow nortn °f tne Appomattox, he suddenly moved to 
try? Ream's Station, on the Weldon Railroad. For seve- 
suc - ral days the enemy endeavored to dislodge him, 
but without success. 

15. On the 28th of September an attempt was 
te b mber? Sep ' made to advance on Richmond from the north of 
James River. Fort Harrison was captured, the 
outer works at Chapin's Bluff were carried, and 
an assault on the second line was made. The 
works, however, proved too strong, and the assault- 
ing column was repulsed, losing about 800 men. 
Describe the On the same day another movement, bavins for its 

operations " 

Bide h Eau. uth " purpose the capture of the Southside Railroad, was 

made, but ended in a severe repulse, with the loss 

of a large number of prisoners. On the 26th and 

27th of October another movement was made at 

each end of the line, but ended without advantage 

to the Union army. 

whatwas While Grant was advancing towards Rich- 

done by Gen- o 

in Northern mond, General Hunter endeavored to capture 

Virginia? 

Lynchburg. On the 5th of June the Confederates 
were defeated at Staunton, and Hunter, having 
been joined by the cavalry under Averill and 
Crook, pushed on towards Lynchburg, destroying 
the railroad as he advanced. He reached Lynch- 
How did the burg on the 17th, and at once opened with cannon 

enemy defeat ° ' 1 

upon the enemy. During the night, heavy reinforce- 
ments from Richmond came up, and the following 
day General Hunter retreated towards Gauley, in 



OPERATIONS IN THE SHENANDOAH VALLEY. 



525 



was 
near 
Washington? 



West Virginia. This movement having left the 
Shenandoah Valley almost unprotected, Early, with what fot 
about 22,000 men, advanced rapidly up the Valley, 
crossed the Potomac near Harper's Ferry, and on 
the 9th of July defeated General Wallace at Mono- 
cacy. The Confederates now spread over the sur- 
rounding country, plundering it of every thing 
valuable. On the 11th they seized the Baltimore 
Railroad, capturing two trains, and partially de- 
stroying the Gunpowder Bridge. 

17. On the 11th they attacked Fort Stevens, ™ 

v * done i 

near Washington, but were driven off with con 
siderable loss ; and on the 14th they retreated from 
Maryland. Another part of the Confederate force what in 

v x Pennsyl- 

entered Pennsylvania, and on the 30th of July vania? 
burned a great part of the town of Chambersburg. 

18. General Sheridan succeeded Hunter m COm- Who suc- 

ceeded Hun- 

mand, and on the 19th of September defeated KandLh 
Early at Winchester, and again at Fisher's Hill on whauL- 

* ' ° poitantvic- 

the 22d. Early retreated towards Richmond, and gain? did he 
Sheridan, as he returned from the pursuit, destroyed 
every thing in the Valley that could in any way be 
useful to the enemy. In October, Early again ad- what ad- 
vanced to near Winchester, and was again routed 3^!*" 
by Sheridan at Cedar Run, October 19, losing 
50 pieces of artillery and nearly 2000 prisoners. 
These operations relieved that part of Virginia 
from any further incursions during the war. 

19. About the middle of March, General Sher-whatdia 

Sherman 

man assumed command of the military division of JX? mder " 
the Mississippi, and at once proceeded to carry out 
the plan previously agreed upon between Lieutenant- 



526 



Lincoln's administration. 



186 ^' General Grant and himself. The force at his com- 
mand numbered about 100,000 men, with 250 pieces 
of artillery. 

20. On the 7th of May the advance upon Atlanta 
was commenced. On the 16th Sherman attacked 
Johnston at Resaca, and, after a severe battle, occu- 
pied that place. Dalton and Rome were evacuated, 
whither did The enemy retired to Allatoona Pass, where pre- 

the enemy « ' r 

nowretreat7 parations were made to check Sherman's further 
how dia advance. Sherman, however, avoided Allatoona, 
new posi- and marched directly to Dallas, about fifteen miles 
southwest of Johnston's position. This movement, 
however, was detected by the enemy, and, having 
the shorter route, they occupied Dallas first, and 
several days were spent in desultory fighting at 
this place. On the 1st of June Allatoona Pass 
was captured, and Johnston again retreated, taking 
position at Kenesaw Mountain, in order to cover 
Marietta, — his line extending to Lost Mountain, six 
miles from Kenesaw. On the 20th, Sherman cap- 
where did tured Lost Mountain, and the Confederates con- 

the Confede- 

conlentfate? centrated their force at Kenesaw, which place 
Sherman endeavored to carry by assault ; but the 
Confederates made a successful resistance. 

Sherman 4 ^* S nerman ? abandoning the assault, rapidly 

hasYeTto? p US h e( } forward to Marietta. On the 15th of July 
the opposing armies were both across the Chatta- 
hoochie, Sherman making for Decatur, and John- 

whosuc- ston endeavoring to intercept him. On the 18th 

ceeded Gene- r 

s-!o'n? ohn ' Johnston was succeeded in command by Hood, 
aid he c pur- se wno tr i e d to stop the retreat by assuming the 
offensive. On the 20th he attacked a part of 



*ue? 



CAPTURE OF ATLANTA. 



527 



Sherman's line, but failed to make any impression. I g6 *» 
The attack was renewed on the 22d, and again on 
the 28th, with like result, Hood losing in the three 
battles about 20,000 men. 

22. Hood now found himself shut up in Atlanta, wha™ 

* 7 the result of 

with a powerful army rapidly closing around him. S? de ' 
On the 25th of August, Sherman's whole army with- 
drew from the vicinity of Atlanta towards the ceive Hood ? 
southwest, deceiving the enemy into the belief that 
they were retreating ; but they soon appeared again 
at Jonesboro', where the Confederates were de- 
feated. Another engagement occurred at Rough- September i 
and-Ready, the Confederates giving way, and losing Did it ac - 



oouiplish his 
rpose? 



many prisoners. On the night of the 1st of Sep- pu 
tember, Hood evacuated Atlanta, and two days 
afterwards Sherman took possession. 

23. Hood hoped by seizing Sherman's communi- how aia^ ^ 
cations with Chattanooga to compel him to fall fin- 
back towards Tennessee. He therefore advanced October 5. 
to Allatoona and Resaca, but was repulsed at both 
places. Sherman, leaving a strong garrison at 
Atlanta, pursued Hood and drove him into Northern 
Alabama. He then returned to Atlanta, and pre 
pared to march through Georgia to the Atlantic to do 
coast. 

24. By the 10th of November his preparations what di SP o- 

* jr r sition did he 

were completed. Leaving a portion of his army ^erve f ? his 
under Thomas to watch the movements of General 
' Hood, he evacuated Atlanta on the 15th, and set how did the 

7 army pro- 

out towards Savannah. The army marched in two ceed? 
columns, and made an average distance of fifteen 
miles each day. They met with little opposition, 



What did 
Sherman 
prepare 
? 



528 



Lincoln's administration. 



1864. an fl on t h e 12th of December reached Savannah. 
General Hardee, with 15,000 men, evacuated the 
Jzvannzh on ^ e 20th, and the following day Sherman's 

eapTur^d? possess i on# 

what did 25. In the mean time, Hood, relieved of the pre- 

Kocdat- 7 7 i 

m^ttn^f sence of Sherman, commenced operations against 
jrhat course Thomas. As Hood advanced, Thomas fell back 

did Thomas " 

pursue? slowly to Franklin, Tennessee, where he was attacked, 
but succeeded in maintaining his position. A few 
days later, Thomas fell back upon Nashville, and the 

wiiatoc- Confederates laid siege to the town. On the 15th 

curred at o 

Nashviiie? Q £ D ecem b er> Thomas advanced upon the enemy's 
line, and in a two days' conflict compelled him to 
withdraw to Franklin, and subsequently to retreat 
beyond the Tennessee River, leaving many of his 
wounded in our hands, and having lost, in the aggre- 
gate, 17,000 men. 

whatim- 26. On the 19th of June an engagement took 

portant en- ° ° 

toof piTce at place in the British Channel between the Confede- 
rate privateer Alabama and the United States 
steamer Kearsarge, in which the former was sunk, 
after a fight of one hour and twenty minutes. 

whatever Two other privateers were captured during • the 

privateers 1 1 ° 

ST 1 " year, — the Florida, in the port of Bahia, Brazil, 
and the Georgia, at sea, off the coast of Portugal. 

What sue- 

27. In August, Admiral Farragut captured the 
forts at the entrance to Mobile Bay. The fleet 
passed the forts on the 5th, and prepared to invest 
them. Fort Gaines, on Dauphin Island, surrendered 
on the 8th, and Fort Morgan on the 23d, with their 
garrisons, numbering 1600 men. 

28. In the autumn of this year Abraham Lincoln 



i did 
Farragut 
achieve ? 



EE-ELECTION OF PRESIDENT LINCOLN. 



529 



was re-elected to the Presidency of the United *86*. 

States. This event was viewed as an endorsement what politi- 
cal event oc- 

of the general course of the Administration in the November? 
conduct of the war, and particularly of the emanci- =^ r ^, it 
pation of the slaves, and the refusal to consider 
any terms of peace which did not recognize the 
absolute integrity of the Union. The opposing 
candidate was General George B. McClellan. 
The number of votes cast was 4,000,850: of wnatvote 

' ' was polled at 

these, Lincoln received 2,203,831, and McClellan thiselection? 
1,797,019. 

29. On the 27th of April a convention met at what con- 

1 vention met 

Annapolis, Maryland, to frame a new State Consti-j 
tution, and on the 13th of October it was adopted by 
a vote of the people. By it slavery was abolished, 
and a uniform system of free schools established. 



CHAPTER XXIII. 

ADMINISTKATIONS OF LINCOLN AND 
JOHNSON. 

EVENTS FROM JANUARY 1 TO MAY, 1865. 1865 

1. The military operations of the year opened Whatin >-. 

t/ I t/ r portant vie- 

with the capture of Fort Fisher, on the 15th of SS^™ 

January ? 

January, and the subsequent advance of the Union 
army upon Wilmington, N. C. On the 18th, Fort J2j£™; 
Anderson, near the city, was evacuated by the Con- lowed? 
federates ; and on the 22d, Wilmington was occupied 
by the Federal troops under General Terry. 

34 



530 



Lincoln's administeation. 



When did 
Sherman 
again ad r 
vance ? 



1865> 2. On the 15th of January, Sherman's army was 
again in motion, advancing northward. On the 
11th of February, Branchville, in South Carolina, 
was occupied, and on the 17th Columbia surrendered, 
the Confederates under Beauregard retreating. In 
consequence of these movements, Charleston was 
mat did evacuated on the 18th. The enemy on retiring set 

this move- v o 

the n co f nfeae- fire to a number of buildings stored with cotton ; 

rates to do? -t i n t • 

and, the names spreading, a considerable portion of 
the town was destroyed. On the 11th of March, 
Sherman reached Fayetteville, North Carolina, and 
established communication with Terry at Wilming- 
whatoc- t on< On the 21st he reached Goldsboro, where 

curred at " 

Goidsboro? ^ joined the columns under Schofield and Kil- 
patrick. The army was here halted for rest, while 
Sherman proceeded to Petersburg to confer with 
General Grant. On his return he at once took up 
the line of march for Raleigh, which point he 
reached on the 13th of April. 

what event 3. On the 3d of February the President and the 

took place in " 

Ko a ads? on Secretary of State met, on board of a steamboat in 
Hampton Roads, three commissioners appointed by 
Jefferson Davis to confer on the subject of peace; 

was any but the meeting ended without result. The Con- 

thing :iccom- ° 

tnifmee^ federates desired to postpone a consideration of the 
question of reunion, while the President insisted on 
that point as the basis of all negotiation. 

when did 4. No movements of consequence occurred in 

"irant com- 

Cs c ? opera ' Virginia until the beginning of February, when 
Grant extended his line on the left towards Hatcher's 
Run, in the face of a determined opposition on the 
part of the enemy, 



OPERATIONS AGAINST RICHMOND. 



531 



5. General Sheridan, who had been in command 1865 * 
at Winchester, on the 27th of February again ad- how did 

' J ° Sheridan 

vanced up the Valley, and defeated Early at Waynes- Kt1 n 
borough, capturing 11 cannon and 1300 prisoners. 
He then proceeded to Charlottesville, and from that 
point, on the 6th of March, moved towards the 
James River to join Grant. One division took a 
directly southern route, and, passing to the north of 
Richmond, crossed the James at Deep Bottom. The 
other division proceeded towards Lynchburg, de- 
stroying the railroad to Amherst, a distance of 
forty miles. 

6. On the 25th of March, Lee attacked Grant's what did 

' Lee now at- 

line at Fort Steadman, on Hare's Hill. At this tempt? 
point the Confederate works approached within 
three hundred yards of the Union line, and by a 
sudden movement in force they gained possession of what did ha 
Fort Steadman and captured the garrison. An effort 
was made to capture Fort Haskell; but here the 
advance was checked, and the Confederates were gS^JJ $ e 
soon dislodged from Fort Steadman by the 9th 
Corps, under Hartranft. While this engagement J™ 1 * 414 
was in progress, Grant attacked the enemy at meanwhUeT 
Hatcher's Run. Their picket-line was captured, 
and the position was held against a heavy attack. 

7. On the 30th of March, Grant gained posses- what sue- 

1 cesaes now 

sion of the Boydtown road, and on Saturday, April followe4? 
1, Sheridan defeated the enemy at Five Forks and 
gained the Southside Road. On hearing of this 
success, Grant ordered an assault on the Confede- when did 

7 the final 

rate line at Petersburg, which was entirely success- piace? ttake 
ful, and on Sunday night the whole line was in our 



532 



Lincoln's administeation. 



1865. possession. During Sunday afternoon and night 
to what did Petersburg and Richmond were abandoned, and on 
Apru 3. the following day were occupied by the national 
troops. 

Le h elnde£ d ^' -^ ee treated southward, endeavoring to 
treat?"' reach Lynchburg, one hundred and sixteen miles 
to7arTed? he f rom Richmond, while Grant's forces were pushed 
rapidly forward, and on the 5th of April Sheridan 
reached Burkes ville, about fifteen miles west of 
the Confederate position at Amelia Court-House. 
Meade's army having come up, Lee's forces were 
April 7. completely surrounded. He was now summoned to 
wnendid surrender. On the 9th the two commanders had 

the surren- 

Jiace a ? ke an interview, at which the terms were arranged, and 
a few days later the Army of Virginia laid down 
their arms, and the men returned to their homes. 

what foi- 9. The remaining armies of the Confederacy 

lowed with ° ^ 

aruxie's? 1 " were accorded the same terms, and by the 26th of 
May the last insurgent army had melted away. 

10. The wildest joy was everywhere manifested 
at this happy termination of the great struggle; 

whatcaia- but on the 15th of April the country was startled 

mity fol- r •> 

trfumph? by the intelligence that the President had been 
assassinated on the evening before, while witnessing 
what else a performance at a theatre in Washington. An 

did the con- r ° 

tempu 8 at ~ attempt had also been made to take the life of the 
Secretary of State, who at the time was confined 
to his bed by sickness. President Lincoln died at 
twenty minutes past seven on the morning of the 
W e h d°ed u pre- 15th, and a few hours afterwards the oath of office 
mdentLin- administered to Andrew Johnson, the Vice- 
President. 



RETURN OF PEACE. 



533 



was 
done with 
the Union 
armies now ? 



11. The Confederate armies had scarcely sur- 1865 
rendered before the work of disbanding the Union whati 

° done w 

army commenced, and within a few months nearly 
a million of men laid aside the weapons of destruc- 
tion and turned again to the arts of peace. 

12. On the 29th of April the President removed What re- 

strictions did 



con- 
ditions did 
exact? 



all restrictions on trade, except on a few articles r e m ove? ident 
contraband of war. 

13. On the 29th of May the President appointed WTiat course 

J rr did the Ex- 

a Provisional Governor for the State of North SSSMb 
Carolina, authorizing him to take measures to form ^states? 
a State Constitution in harmony with that of the 
United States. Certain conditions were required, ^at 
of which the principal were the repudiation of the 
Confederate war debt, and the adoption of the Con- 
stitutional Amendment abolishing slavery. This 
course was pursued with all the insurrectionary 
States, and the conditions were generally complied 
with. Congress, however, in the session of 1865, faction 

o 1 "did Congress 

considering that some other guarantees for future tak9? 
security were required before the Southern repre- 
sentatives could be admitted to a participation in 
the Government, proposed an amendment to the 
Constitution, which, when adopted by the States, 
it is believed will restore harmony throughout the 
land. 



£ r " 1 

w a 



1,798 
61,753 
462,232 


225,490 
333 010 


87,188 


436,696 
114,965 




2,759 
8,887 

29,264 


11,830 


103,036 • 




158 
11,423 
21,324 
100,572 



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534 



THE 



CONSTITUTION 



OF THE 

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 



Prcr^xe d by a convention of delegates who met at Philadelphia, from the states of New Hampshire 
Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Vir- 
ginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia, and adopted \7th Septe?nber, 1787. 

PREAMBLE.— We, the people of the United States, inorderto formamore perfect union, estab- 
.i.sh justice, insure domestic tranquillity, provide for the common defense, promote the general wel 
fare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish thi» 
Constitution for the United States of America. 

ARTICLE I.— Legislative powers. 

Sect. I— All legislative powers herein granted shall be vested in a congress of the United States 
which shall consist of a senate and house of representatives. 

Sect. II. — t. The house of representatives shall be composed of members, chosen every second 
pear by the people of the several states, and the electors in each state shall have the qualifica- 
tions requisite for electors of the most numerous branch of the state legislature. 

•2. No person shall be a representative, who shall not have attained to the age of twenty-five years, 
aid been seven years a citizen of the United States, and who shall not, when elected, be an in-' 
habitant of that state in which he shall be chosen. 

\ Representatives and direct taxes shall be apportioned among the several states which may be 
included within this Union, according to their respective numbers, which shall be determined by 
adding to the whole number offree persons, including those bound to servitude for a term of years, 
and excluding Indians not taxed, three-fifths of all other persons. The actual enumeration shall 
be mule within three years after the first meeting of the congress of the United States, and with- 
in every subsequent term of ten years, in such manneras they shall by law direct. The num- 
ber of representatives shall not exceed one for every thirty thousand, but each state shall have al 
least one representative: and, until such enumeration shall be made, the state of New Hamp- 
shire shall be entitled to choose three, Massachusetts eight. Rhode Island and Providence Plan- 
tation.- one. Connecticut five, New York six, New Jersey four, Pennsylvaniaeight, Delaware one, 
Maryland six. Virginia ten. North Carolina five. South Carolina five, and Georgia three. 

4. When vacancies happen in the representation from any state, the executive a uthority there 
of shall issue writs of election to fill such vacancies 

5. The house of representatives shall choose their speaker, and other officers ; and shall have 
the sole power of impeachment. 

Sect. III. — L The senate of the United States shall be composed of two senators from each 
state chosen by the, legislature thereof, tor six years : and each senator shall have one vote. 

•2. Immediately after they shnll be assembled, in consequence of the first election, they shall be 
divided as equally as may be into three classes. The seats of the senators of the first class shall 
be vacated at the expiration of the second year ; of the second class.at the expiration of the fourth 
year ; and of the third class, at the expiration of the sixth year: so that one-third may be chosen 
every second year; and if vacancies happen by resignation, or otherwise, during the recess of the 
legislature of any state, the execuiive thereof may make temporary appointments, until the next 
meetina of the legislature which shall fill such vacancies. 

3 No person shall be a senator who shall not have attained to the aee of thirty years, and been 
nine years a citizen of the United States, and who shall not, when elected, be an inhabitant of 
that state for which he shall be chosen. 

4. The Vice President of the United States shall be President of the Senate, but shall have no 
vote, unle-s they be equally divided. 

5 The Senate shall choose their other officers, and al«o a president pro tempore, in the absence 
of the Vice President, or when he shall exercise the office of President of the United States. 

6. The Senate shall have the sole power to try all impeachments. When sitting for that pur- 
pose, they shall be on oath or affirmation. When the President of toe United States is tried, the 
chief justice shall preside; and no person shall be convicted without the concurrence of two 
thirds of the members present. 

7. Judgment in case of j^neachment shall not extend further than "to removal from office, and 
di.-qualification to hold and enjoy any office of honor, trust, or profit, under the United States • 
bur the party convicted shall, nevertheless, be liable and subject to indictment, trial, judgment 
ind punishment according to law. 

Sect. IV.— I. The times, places, and mannerof holdine elections for senators and representatives, 
shall be prescribed in each state by the legislature thereof; but the Congress may, at any time, by 
'aw, make or o^er such regulations, except as to the prace of choosing senators. 

2. The Congress shall assemble at least once in every year, and such meeting shall be on the 
first Monday in December, unless they shall by law appoint a different day. 

Sect. V. —1. Each House shall be the judge of the elections, returns, and qualifications of its 
own members : and a majority of each shall constitute a quorum to do business ; but a smaller 

535 



536 



CONSTITUTION OF 



number may adjourn from day to day, and may be authorized to compe. tts attendance l* 
khsent members, in such manner and under such penalties as each House may provide. 

2. Each House may determine the rule otits proceedings, punish itsmembers lor disorderly be 
havior. and. with the concurrence of two-thirds, expel a member. 

3. Each House shall keep a journal of its t/oceedings, and from time to time publish the same, 
excepting such parts as may in their judgment require secrecy ; and the >eas and nays of the 
members of either House, on any question, shall, at the desire of one-lifth of those presen*, be 
entered on the journal. 

, 4. Neither House during the session of Congress shall, without the consent of the other, adj urn 
for more than three d& 's, nor to any other place than that in which the two Houses sha. be 
sitting. 

KjecC. VI. — 1. The sena.ors and representatives shall receive a compensation for *heir services, 
to be ascertained by law, and paid out of the treasury of the United States. Tl ^y shali in alJ 
cases, except treason, felony, and breach of the peace, be privileged from arrest during their at- 
tendance at the session of their respective Houses, and in going to or returning fiom the same ; 
and for any speech or debate in either House, they shall not be questioned in any other place. 

2. No senator or representative shall, during the time for which he was elected, be appointee 
to any civil office under the authority of the United States, which shall have been created, or 
the emoluments whereof shall have been increased, during such time ; and no person holding 
any office under the United States shall be a member of either House during his continuance in 
office. 

Sect VII — 1 All bills for raising revenue shall originate in the House of Representatives ; bu' 
the Si nate may propose or concur with amendments, as on other bills. 

2. E/ery bill which shall have passed the House of Representatives and the Senate shall, be- 
fore it become a law. be presented to the President of the United States ; if he approve, he shall 
sign 15 ; but if not. he shall return it, with his objections, to that House in which it shall have 
origin Ued, who shall enter the objection at large on their journal, and proceed to reconsider it. 
If, aft3r such reconsideration, two-thirds of that House shall agree to pass the bill, it shall be 
sent, together with the objections, to the other House, by which it shall likewise be reconsidered, 
and if approved by two-thirds of that House, it shall become a law. But in all such cases the 
vote i of both Houses shall be determined by yeas and nays, and the names of the persons voting 
for and against the bill shall be entered on the journal of each House respectively. If any bill 
shall not be returned by the President within ten days (Sundays excepted) after it shall have 
been presented to him, the same shall be a law in like manner as if he had signed it, unless the 
Congress by their adjournment prevent its return, in which case it shall not be a law. 

3. Every order, resolution, or vote to which the concurrence of the Senate and House of Repre- 
sentatives may be necessary, (except a question of adjournment.) shall be presented to the 
President of the United States j and before the same shall take effect, shall be approved by him, 
or being disapproved by him. shall be re-passed by two- thirds of the Senate and House of Rep- 
resentatives, according to the rules and limitations prescribed in the case of a bill. 

Sect. VIII — The Congress shall have power— 

1. To lay and collect taxes, duties, imposts, and excises, to pay the debts and provide for the 
common defense and general welfare of the United States ; but all duties, imposts, and excises 
shall be uniform throughout the United States. 

2. To borrow money on the credit of the United States. 

3. To regulate commerce with foreign nations, and among the several states, and with the In 
dian tribes. 

4. To establish a uniform rule of naturalization, and uniform laws on the subject of bankrupt- 
cies, throughout the United States. 

5. To coin money, regulate the value thereof, and of foreign coin, and fix the standard of 
weights and measures. 

6. To provide for the punishment of counterfeiting the securities and current coin of the United 
States. 

7. To establish post offices and post roads. 

8. To promote the progress of science and useful arts, by securing for limited times to authoro 
and inventors the exclusive right to their respective writings and discoveries. 

9. To constitute tribunals inferior to the Supreme Court. 

10. To define and punish piracies and felonies committed on the high seas, and offences agams* 
the law of nations. 

11. To declare war, grant letters of marque and reprisal, and make rules concerning captures 
on land and water. 

12. To raise and support armies ; but no appropriation of money to that use shall be for a longeJ 
term than two years. 

13. To provide and maintain a navy. 

14. To make rules for the government and reeulation of the land and naval fortes. 

15. To provide for calling forth the militia execute the laws of the Union, suppress insurrec- 
tions, and repel invasions. 

16. To provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining the militia, and for governing such part 
of rhem as may be employed In the service of the United Stares, reserving to the states respec- 
tively the appointment of the officers and the authority of training the militia according to the 
discipline prescribed by Congress. 

17. To exercise exclusive legislation, in all cases whatsoever, over such district (not exceeding 
ten miles square), as mav, bv cession of particular states and the acceptance of Congress, beeorr.e 
the seat of government of the United States, and to exercise like authority over all places pur- 
chased, by the consent of the legislature of the state in which the same shall be. for the eactiaa 
rcf forts, magazines, arsenals, dock-yards, and other needful buildings : and 



THE UNITED STATES. 



537 



18. To make ai. .aws which shall be necessary ana proper for carrying into execution the 

foregoing- powers, and all other powers vested by this Constitution in the government of the 
United States, or any department or officer thereof. 

Sect. IX. — 1. The migration or importation of such persons as any of the states now existing 
shall think proper to admit, shall not be prohibited by the Congress prior to the year one thou- 
sand eight hundred and eight, but a tax or duty may be imposed on such importation, not ex- 
ceeding ten dollars for eacn person. 

2. The privilege of the writ of habeas corpus shall not be suspended unless when, in case of 
rebellion or in vasion, the public safety may require it. 

3. No bill of attainder, or expost-facto law, shall be passed. 

4. No capital ion or other direct tax shall be laid, unless in proportion to the census or enumei- 
ation hereinbefore directed to be taken. 

5. No tax or duty shall be laid on articles exported from any state. No preference shall be 
given by any regulation of commerce or revenue to the ports of one state over those of another, 
nor shall vessels bound to or f.om one state be obliged to enter, clear, or pay duties in another. 

6 No money shall be drawn from the treasury but in consequence of appropriations made by 
law : and a regular statement and account of the receipts and expenditures of all public money 
shall be published from time to time. 

7. No title of nobility shall be srranted by the United States, and no person holding any offics 
cf profit or trust under them shall, without the consent of Congress, accept of any present, emol- 
ument, office, or title of any kind whatever, from any king, prince, or foreign state. 

Sect. X— 1. No state shall enter into any treaty, alliance, or confederation: grant letters of 
marque and reprisal ; coin money ; emit bills of credit ; make any thing but gold and silver coin 
a tender in payment of debts : pass any bill of attainder, ex-post-facto law, or law impairing the 
obligation of contracts : or grant any title of nobility. 

2. No state shall, without the consent of Congress, lay any imposts or duties on imports ot 
exports, except what may be absolutely necessary for executing its inspection laws ; and the nel 
produce of all duties and imposts laid by any state on imports or exports shall be for the use of 
the treasury of the United States, and all such laws shall be subject to the revision and control 
of Congress. No state shall, without the consent of Congress, lay any duty on tonnage, keep 
troops or ships of war in time of peace, enter into any aereement or compact with anotht; state, 
or with a foreign power, or engage in war, unless actually invaded, or in such imminent dangei 
as will not admit of delay. 

ARTICLE II.— 0/ the Executive. 

Sect. I.— 1. The executive power shall be vested in a President of the United States of Ameri- 
ca. He shall hold his office during the term of four years, and, together with the Vice President 
chosen for the same term, be elected as follows : — 

2. Each state shall appoint, in such manner as the legislature thereof may direct, a number of 
electors, equal to the whole number of senators and representatives to which the state may bt 
entitled in Congress ; but no senator or representative, or person holding any office of trust or 
profit under the United States, shall be appointed an elector. 

3. The electors shall meet in their respective states, and vote by ballot for two persons, of whom 
one at least shall not be an inhabitant of the same state with themselves. And they shall make 
a list of all the p>ersons voted for, and of the number of votes for each ; which list they shall sign 
and certify, and transmit sealed to the seat of the government of the United States, directed 
to the President of the Senate. The President of the Senate shall, in the presence of the Senate 
and House of Representatives, open all the certificates, and the votes shall then be counted. The 
person having the greatest number of votes shall be the Fresident, if such number be a majority 
of the whole number of electors appointed; and if there be more than one who have such a 
majority, and have an equal number of votes, then the House of Representatives shall immedi- 
ately choose by ballot one of them for President; and if no person have a majority, then, from 
the five highest on the list, the said House shall in like manner choose the President. But in 
choosing the President., the votes shall be taken by states ; the representation from each statfl 
having one vote ; a quorum for this purpose shall consist of a member or members from two- 
thirds of the states, and a majority of all the states shall be necessary to a choice. In every 
case, after the choice of the President, the person having the greatest number of votes of the 
electors shall be Vice President But if there should remain two or more who have equal votes, 
the Senate shall choose from them by ballot the Vice President. 

4. The Congress may determine the time of choosing the electors and the day on which they 
shall give their votes, which clay shall be the same throughout the United States. 

5. No person except a natural-born citizen, or a citizen of the United States at the time of the 
adoption of this Constitution shall be eligible to the office of President ; neither shall any person 
l .e eligible to that office who shall not have attained to the age of thirty-five years, and been 
fourteen years a resident within the United States. 

6. In case of the removal of the President from office, or of his death, resignation, or inability 
to discharge the powers and duties of the said office, the same shall devolve on the Vice Presi- 
dent; and the Coneress may by law provide for the case of removal, death, resignation, or ina- 
bility, both of the President and Vice President, declaring what officer shall then act as President, 
and such officer shall act accordingly, until the disability be removed or a President shall be 
elected. 

7. The President shall, at stated times, receive for his services a compensation, which shall 
neither be increased nor diminished during the period for which he shall have been elected, 
snd he shall not receive within that period any other emolument from the United States, or an3 
of them. 



538 



CONSTITUTION OF 



8. Before he enter on the execution of his office, he shall take the following oath or affirmation . 

" I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the 
United States, and will, to the best of my ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution 
of the United States." 

Sect. II— I. The President shall be commander-in-chief of the army and navy of the Unitea 
States and of the militia of the several states, when called into the actual service of the United 
Si'ites ; he may require the opinion in writing of the principal officer in each of the executive 
departments, upon any subject relating to the duties of their respective offices ; e.nd he shall 
have power to giant reprieves and pardons for offences against the United States, except in cases 
of impeachment. 

2. He shall have power, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, to make treaties, 
provided two-thirds of the senators present concur : and he shall nominate, and by and with the 
advice and consent of the Senate, shall appoint ambassadors, other public ministers and consuls, 
judges of the Supreme Court, and all other officers of the United States, whose appointments 
are not herein otherwise provided for, and which shall be established by law. Buc the Congress 
may by law vest the appointment of such interior officers as they think proper in the President 
alone, in the courts of law, or in the heads of departments. 

3. The President shall have power to fill up all vacancies that may happen during the recess 
of the Senate, by granting commissions, which shall expire at the end of their next session. 

Sect. III.— I. He shall, from time to rime, give to Congress information of the state of the 
Union, and recommend to their consideration such measures as he shall judge necessary and ex- 
pedient; he may, on extraordinary occasions, convene both Houses, or either of them; and in 
case of disagreement between them, with respect to the time of adjournment, he may adjourn 
them to such l ime as he shall think proper ; he shall receive ambassadors and other public min- 
isters ; he shall take care that the laws be faithfully executed ; and shall commission all the 
officers of the United States. 

Sect. IV. — I. The President, Vice President, and all civil officers of the United States, shall be 
removed from office on impeachment tor and conviction of treason, bribery, or other high crimes 
and misdemeanors. 

ARTICLE III.— The Judiciary— their Powers, &c. 

Sect. I. — l. The judicial power of the United States shall be vested in one Supreme Court, and 
in such inferior courts as Congress may, from time to time, order and establish. The judges, 
both of the Supreme and inferior courts, shall hold their offices during good behavior ; and shall, 
at stated times, receive for their services a compensation, which shall not be diminished during 
their continuance in office. 

Sect. II.—}. The judicial power shall extend to all cases in law and equity arising under this 
Constitution, the laws of the United States, and treaties made, or which shall be made, under 
their authority ; to all cases affecting ambassadors, other public ministers, and consuls; to all 
cases of admiralty and maritime jurisdiction ; to controversies to which the United States shall 
be a party ; to controversies between two or more states ; between a state and citizens of an- 
other state ; between citizens of different states ; between citizens of the same state claiming 
lands under grants of different states ; and between a state, or the citizens thereof, and foreign 
states, citizens or subjects. 

2. In all cases affecting ambassadors, other public ministers, and consuls, and those in which a 
state shall be a party, the Supreme Court shall have original jurisdiction. In all the other cases 
before mentioned, the Supreme Court shall have appellate jurisdiction, both as to law and fact, 
with such exceptions, and under such regulations as Congress shall make. 

3. The trial of all crimes, except in cases of impeachment, shall be by jury, and such hial 
shall be held in the state where the said crimes shall have been committed ; but when not com- 
mitted within any state, the trial shall be at such place or places as Congress may by law have 
directed. 

Sect. III.— I. Treason against the United States shall consist only in levying war against them, 
or in adhering to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort. No person shall be convicted of 
treason, unless on the testimony of two witnesses to the same overt act, or confession in open 
court. 

2. Congiess shall have power to declare the punishment of treason ; but no attainder of 
►reason shall work corruption of blood, or forfeiture, except during the life of the person at- 
tainted. 

ARTICLE IV.— Relative to States. 

Sect. I. — 1. Full faith and credit shall be given in each state to the public acts, records, and ju- 
dicial proceedings of every other state. And Congress may, by general laws, prescribe the man- 
ner in which such acts, records, and proceedinss shall be proved, and the effect thereof 

Sect. II. — 1. The citizens of each state shalllje entitled to all the privileges and immunities of 
"itizens in the several states. 

2. A person charged in any state with treason, felony, or other crime, who shall flee from jus- 
doe and be found in another state, shall, on demand of the executive authority of the state from 
which he fled, be delivered up, to be removed to the state having jurisdiction of the crime. 

3. No person held to service or labor in one state, under the laws thereof, escaping into 
another, shall, in consequence of any law or regulation therein, be Jischargec from such service 
or labor ; but shall be delivered up on claim of the party to whom such service or labor may 
be due. 

Sect. Ill— I. New states may be admitted by Congress into this union ; but no new state shalJ 
be formed or erected within the jurisdiction of any other state, nor any state be formed by th« 



THE UNITED STATES, 



539 



junction cf two nr more states, or parts of states, -without the consent of the legislatures of the 
itates concerned, as well as of Cong-ress. 

£ Congress shall have power to dispose of. and make all needful rules and regulations respect 
ins the territory, or other property belonging to the United States j and nothing in this Consii- 
TitMNi ahaJ] be .-o construed as to prejudice any claims of the United States or of any particular 
state. 

Sect. IF.— 1. The United States shall guarantee to every state in this union a republican form of • 
fovemment. and shall protect each of them against invasion ; and. on application of the legist 
ture, or of the executive (when the legislature cannot be convened), against domestic violence. 

ARTICLE V.— Of Amendments. 

L Congress, whenever two-thirds of both Houses shall deem it necessary, shall propose 
amendments to this Constitution; or, on the application of the legislatures of two-thirds of the 
several states, shall call a convention for proposing amendments, which, in either case, sha'l be 
valid to all intents and purposes, as part of this Constitution , when ratified by the legislatures of 
three-fourths of the several states, or by conventions in three-tburths thereof, as the one or the 
other mode of ratification may be proposed by Congress ; provided, that no amendment which 
may be made prior to the year one thousand eight hundred and eight, shall in any manner affect 
the first and fourth clauses in the ninth section of the first article ; and that no state, without its 
consent, shall be deprived of its equal suffrage in the Senate. 

ARTICLE VI.— Miscellaneous. 

I. All debts contracted and engasements entered into, before the adoption of this Constitution, 
shall be as valid against the United States under this Constitution, as under the confederation. 

& This Constitution, and the laws of the United States which shall be made in pursuance 
tnereof. and all treaties made, or which shall be made, under the authority of the United States, 
6hall be the supreme law of the land ; and the judges in every state shall be bound thereby, any 
thing in the constitution or laws of any state to the contrary notwithstanding. 

3. The senato-s and representatives before mentioned, and the members of the several state 
legislatures, and all executive and judicial officers, both of the United States and of the severs. 1 
states, shall be bound by oath or affirmation to support this Constitution; but no religious test 
shall ever be required as a qualification to any office, or public trust, under the United States. 

ARTICLE VII.— 0/ the Ratification. 

1. The ratification of the conventions of nine states shall be sufficient for the establishment of 
this Constitution between the states so ratifying the same. 

Done in convention by the unanimous consent of the states present, the seventeenth day of Sep- 
tember, in the year of our Lord, one thousand seven hundred and eighty-seven, and of the In- 
dependence of the United States of America, the twelfth. In witness whereof, we have here- 
unto subscribed our names. 

The Constitution, although formed in 1737. was not adopted until 178?, and did not commence 
its operations until 1759. The number of delegates chosen to this Convention was sixty-five, of 
whom ten did not attend, and sixteen refused to sign the Constitution. The following thirty 
nine signed the Constitution : — 

Neto Hampshire.— John Lansdon. Nicholas Oilman. 

Massachusetts.— Nathaniel Gorham. Rufus King. 

Connecticut.— William Samuel Johnson, Roger Sherman. 

New York.— Alexander Hamilton. 

New Jersey. — William Livinsston. David Brearlev. William Patterson. Jonathan Davton. 

Pennsylvania— Benjamin Franklin. Thomas Mifflin, Robert Morris, George Clymer, Thomas 
Fi*75immons. Jared Ingersoli, James Wilson, Gouverneur Morris. 

D-'cu-cre.—GioTse Er^i. Gunning Bedford, jr., John Dickinson. Richard Bassett, Jacob 
Rroom. 

Maryland.— Jame- M'Henry, Daniel of St. Thomas Jenifer. Daniel Carroll. 
Virginia — John Blair. James Madison, jr. 

North Carolina.— William Blount. Richard Dobbs Suaieht, Hush Wilb'amson. 

South Caro/'na.— John Rufiedse. Charles C. Pinkney, Charles Pinknej, Pierce Butler. 

Georgia.— William Few, Abraham Baldwin. 

GEORGE WASHINGTON President 

WILLIAM JACKSON, Secretary. 



540 



CONSTITUTION, ETC. 



AMENDMENTS 



To the Ounstitution of the United States, ratified according to the Provisions of the. Fifth 

Article of the foregoing Constitution. 

Art L— Congress shaJ! make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the 
free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press ; or the right of the 
people peaceably to issemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances. 

Art. II. — A well-regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of 
the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. 

Art. III.— No soldier shah, in time of peace, be quartered in any house without the consent of 
the owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law. 

Art. IF.— The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, 
against unreasonable searcnes and seizures, shall not be violated ; and no warrants shall issue, but 
upon probable cause, supported by oath, or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to 
be searched, and the persons or things to be seized. 

Art. V.— No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless 
on a presentment or indictment of a grand jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, 
or in the militia, when in actual service, in time of war. or public danger ; nor shall any person 
be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb ; nor shall be compel- 
led, in any criminal case, to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or prop- 
erty, without due process of law j nor shall private property be taken for public use without just 
compensation. 

Art. FX— In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public 
trial, by an impartial jury of the state and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, 
which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and 
cause of the accusation ; to be confronted with the witnesses against him ; to have compulsory 
process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the assistance of counse 1 for his de- 
fense. 

Art. VII. — In suits at common law, where, the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, 
the right of trial by jury- shall be preserved, and no fact, tried by jury, shall be otherwise re-ex- 
amined in any court of the United States, than according to the rules of the common law. 

Art. ¥111— Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and 
unusual punishments inflicted. 

Art. IX— The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny 
or disparage others retained by the people. 

Art. X. — The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by 
it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people. 

Art. XL— The judicial power of the United States shall not be construed to extend to any suit 
in law or equity, commenced or prosecuted against one of the United States, by citizens of 
another state, or by citizens or subjects of any foreisn state. 

Art. XII— The electors shall meet in their respective states, and vote by ballot, for president 
and vice president, one of whom, at least, shall not be an inhabitant of the sams state with 
themselves : they shall name, in their ballots, the person voted for as president, and, in distinct 
ballots, the person voted for as vice president ; and they shall make distinct lists of all persons 
voted for as president, and of all persons voted for as vice president, and of the number of votes 
for each, which lists they shall sign and certify, and transmit, sealed, to the seat of the government 
of the United States, directed to ihe president of the senate. The president ot the senate shall, 
in the presence of the senate and house of representatives, open all the certificates, and the 
votes shall then be counted. The person having the greatest number of votes for president, 
shall be the president, if such a number be a majority of the whole number of electors ap- 

Eointed ; and if no person have such a majority, then from the persons having the highest num- 
ers, not exceeding three on the list of those voted for as president, the house of representatives 
shall choose immediately, by ballot, the president. But. in choosing the president, the vote 
shall be taken by states, the representation from each state having one vote ; a quorum for this 
purpose shall consist of a member or members from two-thirds of tLe siaics. and a majority of 
all the states shall be necessary to a choice. And if the house of representatives shall not 
choose a president, whenever the riehf of choice shall devolve upon them, before the fourth day 
of March next following, then the^vice president shalJ act as president, as in the case of the 
death, or other constitutional disability of the president. 

The person having the greatest number of votes as vice president, shall be the vice president, 
if such number be a majority of the whole number of electors appointed : and if no person 
have a majority, then, from the two highest numbers on the list, the senate shall choose *he 
vice president— a quorum for the purpose shaH consist of two-thirds of the whole number of 
senators, and a majority of the whole number shall be necessary to a choice. 

But no person, constitutionally ineligible to the office of president, shall be eligible to that of 
vice president of the United States. 

Art. XIII. — Sec. 1. — Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for 
crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States or 
anv place subject to their jurisdiction. 
Sec. 2.— Congress shall have power to enforce this article hy appropriate legislation. 



PROPOSED AMENDMENTS 



To the Constitution, adopted by the Committee on Reconstruction, passed by Congress, 
June 13, 1866. 



ARTICLE — . 



Sec. 1. — All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction 
thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the state wherein they reside. No state shall 
make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the 
United States ; nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due 
process of law, nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction, the equal protection of the laws. 

Sec. 2. — Representatives shall be apportioned among the several states according to their re- 
spective numbers, counting the whole number of persons in each state, excluding Indians not 
taxed. But when the right to vote at any election for the choice of electors for president and vice 
president of the United States, representatives in congress, the executive and judicial officers of 
a state, or the members of the legislature thereof, is denied to any of the male inhabitants of such 
state, being twenty-one years of age, and citizens of the United States, or in any way abridged, 
except for participation in rebellion or other crime, the basis of representation therein shall be 
reduced in the proportion which the number of such male citizens shall bear to the whole number 
of male citizens twenty-one years of age in such state. 

Sec. 3.— No person shall be a senator or representative in congress, or elector of president and 
vice president, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any state, 
who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of congress, or as an officer of the United 
States, or as a member of any state legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any state, 
to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion 
against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof. But congress may, by a vote of 
two-thirds of each house, remove such disability. 

Sec. J,. — The validity of the public debt of the United States, authorized by law, including debts 
incurred for payment of pensions and bounties for services in suppressing insurrection or re- 
bellion, shall not be questioned. But neither the United States nor any state shall assume or pay 
any debt or obligation incurred in aid of insurrection or rebellion against the United States, or 
any claim for the loss or emancipation of any slave ; but all such debts, obligations, and claims 
shall be held illegal and void. 

Sec. 5. — The congress shall have power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the provisions of 
this article. 



541 



CHART OF 



HENRY VII., HENRY VIII., EDWARD VI., 
MARY, ELIZABETH. 



1400. 

492. Columbus discovers America. 
1497. The Cabots, under Henry VII., discover 

the Continent of North America. 
14S9. The Portugese send out Ojeda with 

Americus Vespucius. 

1500. 

1502. Columbus makes his fourth and last 

voyage. 

1506. He dies at Valladolid, in Spain. 

1512. Ponce de Leon discovers Florida. 

1523. Verrazani, under the French, explores the 

American Coast. 
1525. Narvaez attempts the conquest of Florida. 

1534. Cartier discovers the Gulf of St. Law- 
rence, and possesses it in the name of the 
King of France. 

1535. Cartier, in a second voyage, in which he 
ascends the St. Lawrence, names the 
country New France. 

1541. De Soto discovers the Mississippi. 
1562. Ribault leaves a French Colony on the 
Coast of Florida. 

1564. Laudonniere begins a French settlement 
on the river May. 

1565. Laudonniere's Colony destroyed by the 
Spaniards, who possess the country.— St. 
Augustine founded by Pedro Melendez. 

1568. The. Spanish Colony on the May, de- 
stroyed by De Gorgez. 

1576. Frobisher's Expedition. 

1578. Queen Elizabeth grants the first English 
Patent to lands in North America, to Sir 
Walter Raleigh. 

1583. Sir H. Gilbert takes possession of New- 
foundland. 

1589. Raleigh sells his Patent to the London 
Company. 



MISCELLANEOUS FACTS. 

The total population of the United States in 
1790 was 2,819.811; in 1S00, 5,305,937; in 
1810, 7,239,814; in 1820, 9,638,191; in 1830, 
12,866,020; in 1840, 17,069,453; in 1850, 
23,191,876; in 1860, 31,445,080. 

Total white pop. in 1860, 27,003,314; free co- 
loured, 487,996 ; slaves, 3,953,760. Pop. of 
the loyal States and Territories, 22,341,747; 
seceded States, 9,103.333. 

The number of Universities and Colleges was 
239 ; Students, 27.821 : Academies and Pri- 
vate Schools, 6,085; Pupils, 263,096; Publio 
Schools, 80,978; Pupils, 3,354,011. 

Number of Baptist Cburches, 9,360 ; Episcopal, 
1,461; Friends, 728; Jewish, 37; Lutheran, 
1,221; Methodist, 13,388: Presbyterian, 
4,863 ; Roman Catholic, 1,227. 

MEXICO. 

1519. Cortez lands in Mexico. 

1521. He conquers the City.— From this time 
until 1821, Mexico was governed by Vice- 
roys from Spain.— Revolution in Mexico, 
1810—182-1 

542 



JAMES I., CHARLES I., CROMWELL, 
CHARLES II., JAMES II. 



1600. 

1602. Gosnold discovers Cape Cod- 

1603. Henry IV., of France, grants Acadia t<i 
De Monts. 

1605. First permanent French settlement in 
North America made at Port Royal. 

1606. First Charterof Virginiaissued.— Virginia 
divided between the London and Plymouth 
Companies. 

1607. Jamestown, in Virginia, founded — the 
earliest permanent English settlement in 
North America. 

1608. Quebec settled by Champlain. 

1609. Henry Hudson discovers the Hudson 
river. 

1610. Starving time in Virginia. 

1611. Sir Thomas Dale arrives in Virginia. 
1613. New York settled by the Dutch. 

1619. First General Assembly in Virginia. 

1620. Landing of the Puritans.— Young women 
sent to Virginia, as wives for the planters, 
and sold for tobacco.— Negroes introduced 
by the Dutch, and Slavery commenced. 

1621. Charter granted to the Dutch West India 
Company, for settling the country between 
the Connecticut and Delaware rivers. 

1623. The Dutch erect Fort Nassau, on the 
Delaware.— Albany settled by the Dutch. 

1624. London Company dissolved. 

1627. Swedes and Fins settle on the Delaware. 

1628. Patent of Massachusetts obtained.— Set- 
tlement of Salem commenced. 

1629. New Hampshire granted to John Mason. 

1630. Heath's Patent to S. Carolina granted. 

1631. First General Court in Massachusetts.— 
Patent of Connecticut granted. 

1632. Maryland granted to Lord Baltimore. 

1633. First house erected in Connecticut. 

1634. Commissioners appointed in England to 
govern the Colonies.— Roger Williams ban- 
ished. 

1636. Hartford settled.— Roger Williams settles 
Rhode Island. 

1637. Harvard College established.— Pequod 
War. 

1638. New Haven settled. 

1639. First Printing Office in America, at Cam- 
bridge. 

1643 Confederation of the New England Colo- 
nies. 

1653. Disputes between the United Colonies 

and the Dutch. 
1671. Charleston founded. 
1673. War between England and Holland.— 

The Dutch take New York. 

\ King Philips War. 

1681. Penn receives a Charter for Pennsylvania. 

1682. Philadelphia founded. 

1694. Culture of Rice introduced in South Car- 
olina, from Africa. 

1697. Peace of Ryswick terminates King Wil- 
liam's War. 



AMERICAN HISTORY. 



WILLIAM AND MARY, ANNE, GEORGE I., 
GEORGE II., GEORGE III. 



1700. 

1702. Queen Anne's War. 

1703. First American Newspaper.— (Boston 
News Letter.) 

1710 First Post Office in America. 

1719 Aurora Borealis first seen in New Eng. 

1723. Vermont settled. 

1729. North and South Carolina separated. 

1733. Georgia settled. 

1738. Nassau Hall College founded at Prince- 
ton, New Jersey. 
1744. War between France and England. 
1748. Peace restored. 

1754. Commencement of the old French War. 
Congress of Delegates from seven Colonies 
meet at Albany. 

1755. Defeat of Braddock. 

1757. Fort William Henry taken by Montcalm. 
1759. Quebec taken— Wolfe killed. 

1764. Philadelphia Medical School founded. 

1765. Stamp Act passed.— First Colonial Con- 
gress, from nine States, meet at N Vork, 
and publish a Declaration of Rights. 

1766. Stamp Act repealed. 

1767. New Taxes imposed. 
1770. Boston Massacre. 

1773. Tea thrown into the Harbor at B««<ton. 

1774. CONTINENTAL CONGRESS, at Phil- 
adelphia. 

1775. Revolutionary War begins— Skirmish at 
Lexington.— Bunker Hill. 

1776. Independence declared— Americans de- 
feated on Lou? Island.— Battle of White 
Plains — Trenton. 

V777 Battle of Princeton— Bennington— Bran- 
dy wine— Stillwater— Germantown— Sara- 
toga.— Surrender of Burgoyne. 

1778. Treaty of Alliance between France and 
America.— Battle of Monmouth. -A French 
Fleet, under D'Estaing, arrives.— Massacre 
at Wyoming.— Savannah taken by the 
British. 

1779. — Sunbury taken by the British.— Battle at 
Briar Creek.— Storming of Stoney Point 
and Paulus Hook — Battle of the Bon 
Homme Richard and Serapis— Siege of 
Savannah. 

1780. Battle near Camden, S. C— Treason of 
Arnold. 

1781. Revolt of the Pennsylvania troops.— Bat- 
tle of Cowpens— Guilford— Hobkirk's Hill. 
EutawSpri ngs. —Surrender of Cornwallis. 

1782. Treaty of Peace siened. 

1783. Army disbanded.— Washington resigns his 
commission. 

1784. Shay's Rebellion. 

1787. Convention for Framing a Constitution. 

1788. Eleven States adopt thp Constitution. 

1789. Commencement of the Federal Govern- 
ment—Washington President. 

1791. Vermont admitted into the Union. 

1792. Kentucky admitted, into the Union.— 
U. S. Mint established. 

'■793. Washington again elected President. 
PP6. Tennessee admitted into the Union.— 

Washington's Farewell Address.— John 

Adams President. 
1799.— Washington dies 



1800. 



1800. Seat of Government transferred to Wash 
ington. 

1801. Jefferson elected President. 

1802. Ohio admitted into the Union. 

1803. Louisiana purchased.— War with Tripol> 
1807. Affair with the Chesapeake and Leop 

ard.— Burr's Conspiracy and Trial. 
1809. Madison's Administration. 

1811. Affair of the Little Belt— Louisiana ad- 
mitted u,to the Union.— Battle of Tippe- 
canoe. 

1812. Declaration of War against Great Britain 
by the United States — Surrender of Hull. 
—Battle of the Constitution and Guerriere 
—Wasp and Frolic— United States and 
Macedonian— Constitution and Java. 

1813- Battle of the Hornet and Peacock.— Cap- 
ture of York— Death of Pike — Forts George 
and Erie taken.— Battle of LakeErie— of the 
Thames— on Lake Ontario— of Taladega. 

1814. Battle of Talapoosa— Chippewa— North 
Point— Bridge water. 

1815. Battle of New Orleans.— Treaty of Peace. 

1816. National Bank established.— Indiana ad- 
mitted into the Union.— Colonization So- 
ciety formed. 

1817. Monroe elected President.— Internal Im- 
provements—Roads and Canals, com- 
menced.— Mississippi admitted. 

1818. Jackson chastises the Seminoles.— Illi- 
nois admitted. 

1819. First Steam Ship sails for Europe.— Ala- 
lama admitted into the Union. 

1820. Northern Canal completed.— Maine ad- 
mitted. 

1821. Missouri admitted.— Florida ceded to the 
United States. 

1824. Lafayette visits America. 

1825. John Q. Adams' Administration. 

1826. Adams' and Jefferson's death. 

1828. Tariff Bill amended. 

1829. Andrexo Jackson's Administration.— First 
appearance of Cholera in America, at Que- 
bec—Black Hawk's War. 

1833. Removal of the Deposits from the U. S. 
Bank to the State Banks. 

1835. Great Fire in New York.— Michigan ad- 
mitted.— 1835 to 1837, mania for Specula- 
tion rages. 

1836. Arkansas admitted into the Union. 
1C37. Van Buren's Administration.— Great pe 

cuniary distress. — Banks in New York stop 
Specie Payment. 
1839. Banks in N. Y. resume Specie Payment. 

1841. William H. Harrison President.— Dies 
April i.—John Tyler President. 

1842. North-Eastern Boundary Question settled. 
1845. Iowa and Florida admitted.— James K 

Polk, President.— Morse's Telegraph car- 
ried into operation.— Texas admitted into 
the Union. 



1846. 

May 3. Fort Brown bombarded. 

" 3. War declared against Mexico. 

" 8. Battle of Palo Alto. 

" 9. Battle of Resaea de la Palma. 
June 1(5. Oregon boundary settled. 

543 



CHART OF 



Aug. New Mexico conquered. 
Sept. 21. Siege of Monterey commenced, 
" 24. Monterey capitulated. 

184:7. 

Feb. 8. California annexed. 

" 22. Battle of Buena Vista. 

" 28. Chihuahua captured. 
Mar. 29. Vera Cruz captured. 
April 18. Cerro Gordo captured. 
Aug. 20. Battle of Churubuseo. 
Sept. 8. Battle of Molino del Key. 

" 13. Battle of Chapultepec. 

" 14. General Scott entered the city of 
Mexico. 

1848. 

Feb. 2. Gold discovered in California. 

" Treaty of peace with Mexico. 
May 29. Wisconsin admitted into the Union. 

1849. 

Second appearance of cholera in America. 
Mar. 5. General Taylor inaugurated Presi- 
dent. 

Sept. 1. State Constitution adopted by Cali- 
fornia. 

1850. 

March 31. John C. Calhoun died. 
May 31. First American Arctic expedition 
sailed. 

May 3. Great fire in San Francisco. 
July 9. Great tire in Philadelphia. 
" 9. President Taylor died, and was suc- 
ceeded by Millard Fillmore. 
' 10. The question of the admission of Cali- 
fornia, and the passage of the Fugitive 
Slave Bill, caused intense excitement 
throughout the country. 
Sept. 1. Invasion of Cuba by General Lopez 
from New Orleans. 
" 9. Territories of Utah and New Mexico 
organized. — California admitted as a State. 
" 20. Flogging in the navy abolished. 
Oct. 9. Texas boundarv settled by payment 
of $10,000,000 to the State of Texas. 
" Jefferson Davis made a speech in favor of 
secession. 

Nov. 13. Personal Liberty Bill passed in Ver- 
mont. 

" 18. Governor Quitman, of Mississippi, 
called an extra session of the Legislature 
to oppose the admission of California. 

" 25. Mississippi Legislature convened. 
Dec. 11. State Convention held at Miliedge- 
ville, Ga. 

1851. 

Jan. 27. Steamer John Adams sunk in Missis- 
sippi River— 123 lives lost. 

May 3. Great fire in San Francisco. 
" 5. Southern Rights Convention held at 
Charleston, S. C. 

June 22. Great fire in San Francisco, destroyed 
$3,000,000 worth of property. 

July 4. Corner-stone of the new Capitol at 
Washington laid. 

Aug. 12. Second invasion of Cuba by General 
Lopez. 

Sept. 30. First Grinnell expedition returned. 
Doc. 4. Kossuth visited the United States. 

544 



1852. 

June 29. Henry Clay died. 

Arizona purchased. 
Oct. 24. Daniel Webster died. 

1853. 

Mar. 4. Franklin Pierce inaugurated Presi. 
dent. 

April 18. Hon. Wm. R. King, Vice-President, 

died. 

May 31. Second Grinnell expedition in search 

of Sir John Franklin sailed. 
July 14. Crystal Palace at New York opened. 

1854:. 

Mar. 31. Treaty with Japan concluded. 
April 11. Southern Convention held at Charles- 
ton. 

May 25. Kansas and Nebraska Bill passed. 

Missouri Compromise repealed. 
July 13. Greytown bombarded by Commodore 

Hollins. 

1855. 

Aug. — . First attempt to lay Atlantic Tele- 
graphic Cable. 

Oct. 11. Grinnell expedition returned, aftel 
an absence of two years and a half. 

~856. 

Feb. 2. N. P. Banks elected Speaker of the 
House of Representatives, after balloting 
two months. 

May 14. Disturbances in California. — Vigi- 
lance Committee appointed in San Fran- 
cisco. 

May 27. British minister and consuls at Phi- 
ladelphia and New York dismissed for 
procuring enlistments in the United States 
for British army. 

June. Disturbances in Kansas between the 
Free State men and the Lecompton gov- 
ernment. 

" Indian war in Oregon and Washington 

Territories. 
" 19. Quantity of arms belonging to the 

State of California seized by the Vigilance 

Committee. 

July 4. Topeka Legislature dispersed by gov- 
ernment troops under Colonel Sumner. 

Aug. — . Charter Oak, near Hartford, Conn., 
blown down. 
" 18. San Francisco Vigilance Committee 
disbanded. 

Sept. 1. Riot at Leavenworth, Kan.— Two 

persons killed. 
" 24. Steamer Niagara burned on Lake 

Michigan— 100 lives lost. 
Oct. 10. Disturbances in Kansas suppressed. 
" 15. Two hundred and forty organized 

Free State emigrants arrested in Kansas, 

and disarmed by Governor Geary. 
" 24. Riot between 2500 Chinese miners at 

Mound Spring, Cal. 
Nov. 23. Governor Adams, of South Carolina, 

advised the Legislature to prepare for the 

coming conflict, and advocated the revival 

of the slave-trade. 
Dec. — . A general feeling of alarm in the 

Southern States, in consequence of rumors 

of slave insurrections. 



AMERICAN HISTORY. 



Dec. 8. Southern Convention assembled at 
Savannah. 

1857. 

Jan. — . Court records burnt in Salt Lake 
City, by order of Brigham Young. 

Feb. 16. Dr. Kane died at Havana. 

Mar. 1. Attempt to poison Mr. Buchanan, 
while at the National Hotel, Washington. 
" 4. James Buchanan inaugurated Presi- 
dent. 

April 20. Steamer Niagara left New York to 
assist in laying Transatlantic Telegraph. 
June — . Mormon rebellion. 
June — . Personal Liberty BM1 passed in 
. Maine. 

Aug. 11. Laying of telegraph cable suspended. 

Sept. 12. Steamship Central America wrecked 
—400 lives lost. 
" 15. Emigrant train attacked by Indians, 
at Mountain Meadows, 300 miles south of 
Salt Lake City, and 134 emigrants mur- 
dered. 

Oct. — . Financial crisis in the United States. 

•' 5. Mormons attacked three government 
trains, and destroyed 78 wagons. 

" 13. Banks in the principal cities sus- 
pended specie payments. 

185 8. 

April 8. Governor Cumming arrived at Salt 
Lake City. 
" 10. Thomas H. Benton died. 
May 22. Minnesota admitted into the Union. 
June 7. Troubles in Utah settled. 
" 10. Second attempt to lay Atlantic Cable 
failed. 

July 17. Third attempt to lay Atlantic Cable. 

Aug. 5. Atlantic Telegraph Cable successfully 
laid from the U.S. steamer Niagara and 
the British steamer Agamemnon. 
" 16. First message transmitted from Lon- 
don to America, and on Sept. 1 the wires 
ceased to work. 

Oct. 5. Crystal Palace, New York, burned. 
'' 9. First overland mail from California 
reached St. Louis. 

Dec. 2. Cargo of negroes landed on Jekyll 
Island, coast of Georgia. 

1859. 

Jan. 28. Wm. H. Prescott died. 
Feb. 14. Oregon admitted into the Union. 
May 6. Gold discovered at Pike's Peak. 
"11. Southern Convention met at Nash- 
ville. 

Aug. 1. Wyandotte Convention framed Con- 
stitution for Kansas. 

Oct. 11. United States Arsenal at Harper's 
Ferry seized by John Brown and 22 men. 

Dec. 2. John Brown hung at Charlestown, Va. 
" 16. Four of Brown's accomplices hung. 
" — . Governor Gist, of South Carolina, re- 
commends the secession of the South in 
case a Republican President should be 
elected. 

1860. 

Jan. 10. Pemberton Mil!, at Lawrence, Mass., 
fell, killing and maiming 525 persons. 

Feb. 1. Mr. Pennington, of New Jersey, elec- 
ted Speaker of House of Representatives, 
after a tv» months' contest. 

35 



Mar. 21. Japanese Embassy arrived at San 
Francisco. They reached Washington 
May 14, and left "New York to return to 
Japan 29th June. 

July 3. Third American Arctic expedition 
sailed. 

" 28. Great Eastern arrived at New York. 
Sept. 21. Prince of Wales visited the United 
States. 

Nov. 6. Abraham Lincoln elected President. 
This event was immediately followed by 
preparations, on the part of several South- 
ern States, for withdrawing from the 
Union, and measures were at once taken 
to place the South on a war footing. 
" 22. Large number of banks suspended 
specie payments. 

Dec. 10. Howell Cobb, Secretary of the Trea- 
sury, resigned— succeeded by Philip F. 
Thomas, 

" 17. Lewis Cass, Secretary of State, re- 
signed—succeeded by Jeremiah S. Black. 
17. South Carolina State Convention as- 
sembled. 

" 20. Ordinance of Secession passed South 
Carolina Convention. 

" 22. Robbery of $870,000 in Indian Trust 
Bonds discovered at Washington. 

" 25. Soutli Carolina commissioners arrived 
in Washington.— Major Anderson aban- 
doned Fort Moultrie, and transferred his 
garrison to Fort Sumter. 

" 30. Secretary Floyd resigned. 

" 31. Fort Moultrie, Castle Pinckney, the 
government buildings in Charleston, and 
the revenue cutter in the bay, seized by 
the South Carolina authorities. 

1861. 

Jan. 8. Mississippi seceded. 

" 10. Florida seceded.— The Star of the West 
fired upon at Charleston. 

" 11. Alabama seceded. 

" 19. Georgia seceded. 

" 26. Louisiana seceded. 

" 30. Kansas admitted into the Union. 
Feb. 1. Texas seceded. 

" 4. Peace Convention met at Washington. 
—Confederate Congress met at Montgo- 
mery, Ala. 

Mar. 2. Territories of Colorado, Nevada, and 

Dakota formed. 
Mar. 11. Permanent Constitution adopted by 

Confederate Congress. 
April 10. Confederate government called for 

32,000 men. 
" 12. Fort Sumter bombarded. 
" 14. Fort Sumter evacuated. 
" 15. President Lincoln called for 75,000 

men for three months. 
" 18. Harper's Ferry abandoned by U.S. 

garrison, and the armory destroyed.— 

Pennsylvania troops entered the capital. 
" 19. Massachusetts and Pennsylvania 

troops fired on by the mob at Baltimore. — 

3 of the soldiers and 9 of the mob killed. 
" 20. Gosport Navy Yard abandoned and 

destroyed by the U.S. forces. — Virginia 

6eeeded. — Bridges between Baltimore and 

Philadelphia burned by Secessionists.— 

Tennessee seceded. 
April 21. People of Western Virginia declared 

themselves for the Union. 

545 



CHAET OF 



April 25. Governor Letcher, by proclamation, 
declared Virginia united with the South.— 
Arms removed from St. Louis Arsenal by 
Illinois troops. 

" 26. Confederate Congress met at Mont- 
gomery, Ala. 
May 3. The President called for 60,000 soldiers 
for 3 years or the war, and 18,000 seamen 
for the navy. 

" 5. General Butler took possession of the 
Relay House, Md. 

" 6. Arkansas seceded. Confederate Con- 
gress recognized the existence of war be- 
tween United States and seceding States. 

" 10. Captain Lyon, afterwards General, 
seized the camp of State Militia near St. 
Louis, Mo. 

*' 13. Proclamation of neutrality by British 
government. — Convention in Western Vir- 
ginia to oppose secession. 

" 20. Telegraphic messages seized through- 
out the North. 

" 21. North Carolina seceded. 

" 24. Union forces advanced into Virginia, 
and occupied Alexandria and Arlington 
Heights.— Colonel Ellsworth killed, 
tine 1. Postal service in the seceded States 
discontinued. 

" 2. Battle at Philippi, Western Virginia. 

" 3. General Beauregard in command of 
Confederate troops at Manassas.— Senator 
Stephen A. Douglas died at Chicago. 

" 8. Tennessee adopted ordinance of seces- 
sion. 

" 10. Disastrous skirmish at Great Bethel, 
Va. Union loss, 16 killed, 60 wounded. 

" 11. Convention met at Wheeling to form 
a provisional government. 

" 15. Harper's Ferry evacuated by Confede- 
rates, the machinery carried away, and 
the railroad bridge destroyed. 

" 17 and July 2. General Patterson's force 
crossed the Potomac at Williamsport.— 
Skirmish at Booneville, Mo., between 
troops of Governor Jackson and General 
Lyon's forces. 

" 19. Rebel camp at Philippi, Va., dispersed, 
.'uly 5. Victory at Carthage, Mo. 

" 9. McClellan's victory at Laurel Hill, 
Western Virginia. 

" 11. Skirmish at Monroe, Mo. — Virginia, 
Texas, Arkansas, and Tennessee Sena- 
tors expelled from the U.S. Senate. 

" 12. General McClellan captured Beverley, 
Va.— Colonel Pegram and 600 men sur- 
rendered. 

" 13. Victory at Rich Mountain, Va. One 
hundred and fifty rebels killed and 
wounded, and 600 captured. 

" 14. Victory at Carrie k's Ford, Va.— Gene- 
ral Garnet killed. 

" 15. Skirmish at Bunker Hill, Va., between 
Patterson's advance and Confederate ca- 
valry. — General McDowell commenced 
his forward movement from Washing- 
ton. 

" 16. President Lincoln authorized to call 

out 500,000 volunteers. 
" 17. Fairfax Court - House occupied by 

General McDowell's advance.— Skirmish 

at Scarrytown, Western Va. 
" 18. Fight at Blackburn's Ford, near Cen- 

treville, Va. 
546 



July 20. Confederate Congress met at Rich- 
mond, Va. 

" 21. Battle of Bull Run, between 18,000 
Union troops, under General McDowell, 
and 23.000 Confederates, under General 
Beauregard. Union loss, 481 killed, 1011 
wounded, and 1216 missing. Confederate 
loss, killed 399, wounded 1200, missing 150. 
The Union troops lost twenty-five can- 
non, two thousand five hundred small 
arms, besides ammunition, and eight thou- 
sand knapsacks and blankets. 

" 22. General McClellan called to Wash- 
ington to take command of the Army of 
the Potomac. 

" 27. Fort Fillmore al andoned. 

" 30. Missouri Convention declared vacant 
the offices of Governor, Lieutenant-Gov- 
ernor, and the Assembly. 
Aug. 1. Slaves imprisoned at Alexandria re- 
leased, and employed on fortifications, by 
order of the Secretary of War. 

" 2. Battle of Dug Springs, Mo. 

" 5. Skirmish at Athens, Mo.— Galveston, 
Texas, bombarded. 

" 9. The village of Hampton, near Fortress 
Monroe, burnt by order of General Ma- 
gruder. 

" 10. Battle of Wilson's Creek, between 
Generals Lyon and McCulloch. Ten 
thousand rebels and about 6000 Union 
troops were engaged. General Lyon was 
killed. The Union loss was 1235, and that 
of the rebels, 1065. The Union forces 
afterwards fell back to Rolla. 

" 16. The President, by proclamation, de- 
clared the seceding States in a state of 
insurrection, and forbade all commercial 
intercourse with them. 

" 17. Fight at Charlestown, Mo. 

" 18. Privateer Jeff. Davis wrecked at St. 
Augustine, Fla. 

" 20. General Wise defeated at Hawk's 
Nest, Va. 

" 26. Surprise of the 7th Ohio Volunteers, 
while at breakfast, at Summervilk, West- 
ern Va.— General Butler's expedition left 
Fortress Monroe for Hatteras Inlet, N.C 

" 27 and 29. Bombardment and surrender 
of Forts Hatteras and Clark, at Hatteras 
Inlet, N.C. Seven hundred prisoners, 31 
cannon, and 1000 stand of small arms were 
captured.— Confederates repulsed at Lex- 
ington, Mo., by Home Guards. 

" 29. Fort Stanton. New Mexico, abandoned 
by order of Colonel Canby. 

" 31. General Fremont issued a proclamation 
(which was soon after annulled) declaring 
the slaves of all persons in arms against 
the government free men. Confederates 
ocoupied Munson's Hill, in sight of Wash- 
ington. 

Sept. 4. Kentucky invaded and Columbus oc- 
cupied by rebels, under General Leouidas 
Polk, and Bowling Green soon after occu- 
pied by General Buckner. 
" 6. Paducah, Ky., occupied by General 
Grant. 

" 11. Fight at Lewinsville, Va., between 
Griffin's battery and Stuart's rebel cavalry. 
—Battle at Carnifex Ferry, Western Va. 

" 12-15. Skirmishes at Cheat Mountain.— 
John A. Washington killed. 



AMERICAN HISTORY. 



Sopt. 12. Confederate camp at Petersburg, Va., 
routed and destroyed. 

" 13. Skirmish at Elkwater, Western Va., 
between rebel General Anderson and 
Loomis's battery. — Fight between Missouri 
Home Guard and rebels under Col. Brown. 

" 14. Privateer Judah burnt, under the guns 
of Pensaeola Navy Yard, by Lieutenant 
Russell, U.S. Navy. 

" 15. Affair at Darnestown, Va., between 
Colonel Geary's pickets and 450 rebels. 

" 16. Siege of Lexington, Mo., commenced, 
and continued until the 20th inst., when 
Col Mulligan and 3500 men surrendered, 
with 3300 small arms and sabres, 750 horses, 
$100,000 worth of commissary stores, and 
$900,000 in money, which had been buried. 
— Legislature of Maryland prevented 
from meeting to pass ordinance of seces- 
sion, by the arrest of many of the mem- 
bers. — Naval expedition destroyed Fort 
Oregon, at Oeracoke Inlet, N.C. 

44 17. Rout of Confederates at Mariatown, Mo. 
— Skirmish at Blue Mills Landing. Union 
loss, 12 killed and 91 wounded and missing. 

" 20 Kentucky invaded by rebels. 

" 21. Confederates at Papinsville, Mo., sur- 
prised and routed by General Lane. 
Confederate loss, 40 killed, and 100 pri- 
soners. 

" 23. Skirmish at and capture of Mechanics- 
burg Gap, Va., by Ohio troops. 

" 24. Skirmish between the 28th Pennsylva- 
nia and 500 rebels, near Point of Rocks. 

" 30. Colonel Geary shelled the rebel works 
on the Potomac, opposite Berlin, Md. 
Oct. 3. Skirmish at Green Briar, Western Va., 
between Uuion forces, under General 
Reynolds, and rebels, under General Lee. 

" 4. Confederate forces, 4000 strong, attacked 
the Union troops at Chicomacomieo, on 
Hatteras Island, but were repulsed and 
driven off by the gunboat Monticello, with 
heavy loss to the Confederates. 

" 8. John C. Breckinridge, ex-Vice-Presi- 
dent, and a United States Senator, issued 
an address to the people of Kentucky, de- 
claring his intention to resist the Federal 
authority. He was afterwards made a 
general in the rebel army. 

" 9. Attack upon Wilson's Zouaves on Santa 
Rosa Island, by 1800 rebels from Pensaeola. 
They were repulsed, with a loss of 350 
killed, wounded, and missing. 

" 12. Commodore Hollins unsuccessfully at- 
tacked the Uuion fleet at the Southwest 
Pass of the Mississippi, by means of tire- 
ships, a "turtle" ram, and 6 gunboats.' 

" 14. Secretary Seward advised the Gover- 
nors of the loyal States to perfect the 
fortifications of the seaboard and lake 
boundaries. 

" 16. Colonel Geary, with 400 men, captured 
21,000 bushels of wheat near Harper's 
Ferry. Returning, he was attacked by 
the rebels, but repulsed them, capturing 
one 32-pounder. 

*• 18. Potomac River completely blockaded 
by rebel batteries. 

" 21. Battle of Ball's Bluff. Colonel Baker, 
with about 1900 men, crossed the Potomac, 
near Leesburg, but were driven back by 
the rebels, under General Evans, with a 



loss of 200 killed and about 700 wounded 
and prisoners. Colonel Baker was killed. 
— General Zollicoffer attacked the Union 
troops at Camp Wildcat, but was repulsed 
with severe loss.— Colonel Plummer, with 
2500 Union troops, attacked aud routed 
5000 rebels, under Generals Jeff. Thomp- 
son and Lowe. 
Oct. 24. General Fremont's. body-guard, under 
Major Zagonyi, charged into Springfield 
with about 150 men. The rebels were 
completely routed. Of the guard, 15 were 
killed, 27 wounded, and 10 missing. 

" 25. General Kelley attacked and routed 
the rebels at Romney.Va., capturing their 
guns and camp equipage. 

" 28. General Fremont entered Springfield. 

" 29. General Sherman's expedition, con- 
sisting of men-of-war and transports, sailed 
from Hampton Roads for Port Royal, S.C. 
— Provisional Government for Kentucky 
established at Bowling Green. 

" 31. Lieutenant-General Winfield Scott 
retired from active service in the army. 
He entered the army as a volunteer in 
1807; appointed captain in 1808, lieute- 
nant-colonel in 1812, colonel in 1813, bri- 
gadier, and soon after major-general, in 
1814, and, as a reward for his distinguished 
services, the rank of lieutenant-general 
was conferred on him in 1855.— General 
McClellan appointed to the chief command 
of the army of the United States. 
Nov. 2. General Fremont removed from tha 
command of the Western Department. 

" 4. Part of General Sherman's expedition 
arrived off Port Royal, S.C. 

" 7. Forts Walker and Beauregard, at 
Port Royal, attacked by vessels under 
Commodore Du Pont, and, after a bom- 
bardment of three hours, surrendered, the 
garrison escaping to the interior. Forty- 
two heavy guns were captured, and also a 
large amount of ammunition. — Battle at. 
Belmont, Mo., between Generals Grant' 
and McClernand and the rebels, under 
General Cheatham. The rebel camp was 
destroyed, and after a long and severe 
contest, the Union troops retired to their 
transports. Union loss, 84 killed, 28 
wounded, and 235 missing. Rebel loss, 
261 killed, 427 wounded, and 278 missing. 

" 8. Town of Beaufort, S.C, occupied by 
Union troops. — Commodore Wilkes cap- 
tured the rebel commissioners, Mason and 
Slidell, while on board the British mail 
steamer Trent. 

" 9. General Nelson attacked the rebels 
near Piketon, Ky., and compelled an un- 
conditional surrender. Two thousand 
prisoners were taken. 

" 10. General Halleck appointed to the 
command of the Department of the West, 
in place of Generals Hunter and Fremont. 
— One hundred and fifty Union soldiers 
enticed into a private house in Guyan- 
dotte, Va., and there murdered or taken 
prisoners. The next day the village was 

• burnt by Virginia Union volunteers, in 
retaliation for the murder. 

" 13. General Lockwood, with 4000 troops, 
occupied Accomac and Northampton coun- 
ties, Va. 

547 



CHART OP 



Nov. 14. General Benham defeated Floyd at 
McCoy's Mills. 
" 19. Rebel privateer Nashville burnt the 
ship Harvey Birch, near the British Chan- 
nel. 

" 20. " Stone fleet" sailed from New London, 
Conn., to blockade Charleston harbor. — 
Three thousand Confederates laid down 
their arms and disbanded, in Aceomac 
county, Va.— General Floyd retreated 
from Gauley River, losing most of his camp 
equipage and ten wagon loads of arms and 
ammunition. 

" 22 and 23. Forts McRae and Barrancas 
bombarded by Fort Pickens and thj ships 
in the harbor. Fort McRae was silenced, 
and the town of Warrington destroyed. 

" 23. Part of General Butler's expedition 
sailed for New Orleans. 

" 26. Convention to form a new State met 
at Wheeling. 
Dec. 2. Engagement between four Union gun- 
boats and the rebel iron-clad Patrick 
Henry, near Newport News. 

" 3. Skirmish at Salem, Lent county, Mo. 
— 3d Pennsylvania cavalry, while on a 
reconnoissance to Vienna, Va., captured, 
but cut their way out, with a loss of 45 
killed, wounded, and missing.— Advance 
of General Butler's expedition landed at 
Ship Island. 

" 4. Arms and munitions of war prohibited 
from exportation from any British port. 

" 9. Rebel batteries at Shipping Point de- 
stroyed. 

" 11-12. Destructive fire in Charleston, S.C. 

" 13. General Milroy defeated General John- 
ston at Camp Alleghany, Va., killing 31 
and wounding 97- 

" 17. Battle near Munfordsville, Ky. Sixty- 
two rebels killed. 

" 18. Colonel Jeff. C. Davis captured 1300 

rebels at Milford, Mo. 
. " 20. Fight at Dranesville, Va., between 
General Ord and rebel General Stuart.— 
Stone fleet sunk in the channels leading to 
Charleston. 

" 26. Mason and Slidell released by Secre- 
tary Sew ard. 

" 30. Banks again suspended specie pay- 
ments. 

1863. 

Jan. 1. Battle on Port Royal Island, S.C. — 
Second bombardment of Forts Barrancas 
and Warrenton, from Fort Pickens. 

" 2. Mason and Slidell embarked on board 
British steamer for Europe. 

*' 4. General Jackson defeated the 5th 
Connecticut regiment, which was guard- 
ing the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, near 
Hancock, Va., and destroyed the track. 

" 5. Senator Bright, of Indiana, expelled 
from the United States Senate. 

" 8. Severe skirmish, and defeat of rebels, 
at Blue Gap, near Romney, Va.— Skirmish 
at Paiatville, Ky.— Rebel camp in Ran- 
dolph county, Mo., destroyed. 

" 13. Hon. Simon Cameron, Secretary of 
War, resigned. Succeeded by Edwin M. 
Stanton. 

* 17. Ex-Pr«sident John Tyler died »t Rich- 
mond. 

548 



Jan. 18. Battle of Mill Spring, Ky. General 
Zollicoffer killed. Rebel loss, 115 killed ; 
10 cannon, 100 wagons, and 1200 horses 

captured. 

" 28. Fort Pulaski cut off from Savannah, 
by expedition under Captains Davis and 
Rodgers, of the navy. 
Feb. 6 Fort Henry, on the Tennessee River, 
captured by Commodore Foote's naval 
expedition. 

" 8. Roanoke Island, N.C., captured bj 

General Burnside. 
" 9. Naval engagement near Elizabeth City, 

N.C. Four rebel vessels destroyed. 
" 13. General Curtis surprised the rebels at 

Springfield, Ark.— Skirmish at Blooming 

Gap, Western Va. 
" 15. Rebels evacuated Bowling Green, Ky. 
" 16. Fort Donelson surrendered to General 

Grant, the garrison consisting of 14,000. 
" 17. Nashville abandoned by rebels. 
" 19. Clarksville, Tenn., surrendered to 

Commodore Foote. 
" 21. Battle at Valverde, New Mexicc. 
" 22. Jefferson Davis inaugurated President 

of the Southern Confederacy for six 

years. 

" 25. Military possession taken of all tele- 
graphs in the North. 

" 28. Skirmish at Keittsville, Mo. Four 
guns captured from the rebels. 
Mar. 2. General Lander died. 

" 3. Columbus, Ky., evacuated. 

" 6. President Lincoln sent to Congress a 
message, proposing a seheme for emanci- 
pation with compensation. 

" 6, 7, and 8. Battle of Pea Ridge, Ark., 
between Union forces, under Generals 
Curtis and Sigel, and the rebels, under 
MoCulloch, Prioe, and Van Dorn. Union 
loss 212 killed, 926 wounded, 174 missing. 
Rebel loss, 4000, including prisoners. 

" 8. Destruction of the frigates Cumberland 
and Congress, by the rebel steamer Mer- 
rimac, in Hampton Roads. 

" 9. Great naval battle between the rebel 
iron-plated steamer Merrimac and the 
Monitor, 

"10. Centreville, Va., occupied by Union 
troops. 

" 11. General MoClellan, on taking the 
field, was relieved from the chief command 
of the army. — Manassas evacuated by 
rebels, and occupied by General McClel- 
lan's advance. 

" 12. Winchester, Va., reoccupied by Union 
forces. 

" 14. New Madrid, Mississippi, evacuated 
by the rebels, leaving all their guns and 
ammunition.— Fort Marion, Fla., repos- 
sessed.— Battle at Newbern, N.C. Forty- 
six siege guns, 18 field pieces, 3000 small 
arms, and 300 prisoners captured. 

" 16. Island No, 10 invested by gunboats 
under Commodore Foote. — Pound Gap, 
Tenn., captured by General Garfield. 

" 18. Skirmish at Salem, Mo. One hundred 
rebels killed and wounded. Union loss, 

" 23. Battle of Winchester, Va., between 
the troops of General Shields and the 
rebels, under Stonewall Jackson. Union 
loss, 132 killed, 540 wounded. Rebel loss, 
500 killed and about 1000 wounded. 



AMEMC AX HISTORY. 



Mar. 25. — Actinia Creek evacuated by rebels. — 
Rebel gunboat sunk near New Madrid. 

" 28. Battle at Apache Canon, New Mexico. 
Rebel loss, 150 killed, 200 wounded.— Skir- 
mish near Tullahoma, Tenn. 

" Skirmish at Middleburgh, Va. 
April 1. Skirmish near Watt's Creek, near 
Newport News, Va. — One hundred men of 
the 43d Illinois surprised a rebel battery 
at Island No. 10, and spiked the guns. 

" 5. Yorktown, Va., invested by General 
McClellan. 

" 6. Gunboat Pittsburg safely passed the 
rebel batteries at Island No. 10.— First 
day's battle at Pittsburg Lauding, Tenn. 
General Albert S. Johnston killed. 

" 7. Second day of battle of Pittsburg 
Landing, between 60,000 rebels, under 
Johnston, Beauregard and Polk, and 70,000 
"Union troops, under Generals Grant, 
Buell, Nelson, and Prentiss. Union loss, 
1735 killed, 7882 wounded, and 3956 miss- 
ing. The rebels left 27U0 dead on the 
field.— Island No. 10 abandoned by the 
rebels. One hundred and twenty-three 
pieces of artillery and large quantities of 

ammunition captured General Pope sent 

a portion of his force across the Missis- 
sippi, and captured 6700 rebels, with 30 
field-pieces and 7000 small arms. 

" 10. Huntsville, Ala., surprised by Gener.il 
Mitchel. Fifteen locomotives and 200 
prisoners captured. 

" 11. Fort Pulaski. Ga., surrendered, after 
a bombardment of 30 hours.— Second raid 
of the rebel steamer Merrimac, in Hamp- 
ton Roads. 

" 12. Expedition from Huntsville to Stevens 
Station captured 5 locomotives and 2000 
prisoners.— Dec ' tur, Ala., occupied by 
General Mitchel.— Bridges on the Mobile 
& Ohio Railroad destroyed by United 
States troops. 

" 16. Battle at Lee's Mills, near Yorktown, 
Va.— President signed the bill abolishing 
slavery in the District of Columbia. 

" 17. Skirmish :it Edisto Island, S.C. 

" 18. Bombardment of Forts St. Philip and 
Jackson, below New Orleans, commenced. 
— General McDowell's advance reached 
the Rappahannock, opposite Fredericks- 
burg. 

19. Skirmish near Newmarket, Vl.— The ex- 
pedition underGeneral Reno, sent to South 
Mills, N.C., succeeded in destroying the 
looks of the Dismal Swamp Canal. 

" 23. A portion of Commodore Farragut's 
fleet succeeded in passing the forts below 
New Orleans, and attacked and destroyed 
the rebel fleet of iron-clad gunboats and 
rams, 11 of which were sunk. 

" 25. New Orleans surrendered to Commo- 
dore Farragut.— Forts on Lake Pontchar- 
train abandoned bv the rebels. 

" 26. Fort Macon, N.C., surrendered after 
a bombardment of 11 hours. Fifty heavy 
guns, 20.000 lbs. of powder, and 400 smail 
arms captured. 

" 27. Fort Livingston, below New Orleans, 
surrendered. 

" 28. Forts Jackson and St. Philip surren- 
dered to Captain D. D. Porter. 

" 30. Expedition to Bridgeport, Ala . under 



General Mitchel, dispersed 6,800 rebels, 
under General Kirby Smith. 
May 4. Yorktown evacuated, the rebels aban- 
doning 70 guns and a large amount of 
army stores. 

" 5. Battle of Williamsburg, Va. Union 
loss, 300 killed and 700 wounded. Rebel 
loss, 400 killed, 800 wounded, and 1400 
prisoners. 

" 7- Battle at West Point, Va. 

" 8. Sewall's Point shelled by Union gun- 
boats. 

" 9. Fight near Farmington, Tenn. — Gene- 
ral Hunter issued a proclamation declaring 
freedom to all slaves in the military de- 
partment of South Carolina, Georgia, and 
Florida. 

" 10. Fight at McDowell, Western Va. 
Union loss, 230 killed and wounded. Re- 
bel loss, 210 killed and wounded. — Naval 
battle at Fort Wright, on the Mississippi. 
—General Wool landed 5,000 men at Wil- 
loughby's Point, and marched on Norfolk, 
which surrendered.— Gosport Navy-Yard 
burned by the retreating rebels, 

" 11. Rebel iron-clad Merrimac blown up 
by the rebels. — Robert Small, a slave, and 
a negro crew, ran away with the rebel 
steamer Planter, from Charleston, and 
surrendered her to the blockading fleet. 

" 12. Ports of New Orleans, Beaufort, N.C., 
and Port Royal, S.C, opened to trade by 
proclamation of the President. 

" 13. Natchez, Miss., surrendered to the 
Union fleet. 

" 16. Skirmish near Front Royal, Va., be- 
tween 17 men of Colonel Geary's regiment 
and 300 rebel guerrillas. 

" 17. Union iron-clads repulsed at Fort Dar- 
ling, on Drury's Bluff, near Richmond. — 
Suffolk. Virginia, occupied byUnion troops, 
under Colonel Dodge. 

" 19. Severe skirmish at Lacev, Ark., 150 
rebels killed. Union loss, 15 killed, 31 
vtounded.— Proclamation of Hunter free- 
ing slaves annulled by the President. 

" 20. General Naglee's division crossed the 
Chickahominy. 

" 21. Skirmishing along the whole line of 
works at Corinth, daily, until its evacua- 
tion. 

" 23. Skirmish near New Bridge, Va. Four 
cannon, 200 small arms, and 100 prisoners 
captured.— Colonel Kenly, with 900 men, 
attacked by Jackson with 20,0l)0 men, at 
Front Royal. 

" 24. General Banks retreated from Stras- 
burg towards Winchester, pursued by 
Generals Ewell and Stonewall Jackson.— 
Mechanicsville, near Richmond, captured. 
—Fight at Ellison's Mills. 

" 25. General Banks made a stand at Win- 
chester, and, after a severe fight, continued 
his retreat to Martinsburg.— Fight at El- 
lison's Mills, Va , renewed.— Skirmish at 
Mechanicsville, near Richmond. 

" 26. Battle at Corinth, Miss.— General 
Banks crossed the Potomac, having re- 
treated 53 miles in two days, losing only 
50 out of 500 wagons. 

" 27. Battle at Hanover Court House, Va. 
Union loss, 53 killed, and 326 wounded 
and prisoners. Rebel loss, 100 killed, and 

549 



CHART OF 



900 wounded and prisoners.— Battle at 
Corinth, and defeat of the rebels. 

May 29. Rebels, under General Beauregard, 
abandoned Corinth, the retreat having 
been commenced two weeks previously. 
They succeeded in taking away every gun, 
and all the ammunition and stores. 
" 30. Corinth occupied by Union army, un- 
der General Halleck.— Front Royal re- 
captured by Colonel Nelson. 
" 31. First day of the battle of Fair Oaks. 

June 1. General Fremont recaptured Stras- 
burg, driving out the rebels, under Jack- 
son.— Second day of the battle of Fair 
Oaks. Union loss in the two davs: killed, 
890; wounded, 3627; missing, 1222, Rebel 
loss, 5897. 

" 2. General Hooker advanced to within 
four miles of Richmond. — General Banks 
recrossed the Potomac, and advanced to 
Bunker Hill. 

" 3. Bombardment of Fort Wright com- 
menced. 

" 4. Cavalry engagement near Mumfrees- 
boro, Ala. Six Union cavalry killed, and 
64 captured. 

" 5. Evacuation of Forts Wright and Pillow, 
on the Mississippi. 

" 6. Memphis surrendered to the Union gun- 
boats, after a severe na val battle, in which 
seven of the rebel fleet were destroyed, 
one only escaping. —Battle at Tainter's 
creek, near Washington, N.C. 

" 7. Fight at Harrisonburg, Va., in which 
the rebel General Ashby was killed. — 
General Negley cannonaded the rebels at 
Chattanooga.— Wm. B. Muinford hung at 
New Orleans for tearing down the Ameri- 
can flag. 

" 8. Engagement before Richmond, Va,— 
Battle of Cross Keys, Va., between Gene- 
ral Fremont's forces, and rebels, under 
Jackson. Rebel loss, 500 killed, wounded 
unknown. Union loss, 125 killed, 500 
wounded. 

" 9. Battle at Port Republic, Va., between 
General Shields and Stonewall Jackson. 
Union loss, 124 killed, 292 wounded, and 
514 prisoners. — Engagement at Grand 
Gulf, Miss. 

" 11. Artillery skirmish at Gaines' Mills, 
Va. 

" 12. Reconnoissanee in force to Meadow 
Bridge, on the Chickahominy. 

" 13. General Stuart's cavalry" raid to Tun- 
stall's Station and the White House, on 
the Peninsula, 

" 15. Fort at St. Mark's, Fla,, captured. 

" 16. Battle at Secessionville, on James 
Island, S.C. Union loss, 700 killed, 
wounded, and missing. 

" 17. An expedition ascended White River J 
to St. Charles, Ark. During the engage- 
ment a rebel shot entered the boiler of 
the gunboat Mound City, killing and scald- t 
ing 154 persons. Rebel loss, 230 killed 
and prisoners. 

" 18. Union troops occupied Cumberland j 
Gap, Tenn.— Grand Gulf, Miss., shelled 
by Union gunboats.— Six Union soldiers 
hung at Atlanta, Ga. — Rebel camp at 
Manchac, La., dispersed. 

" 20. Holly Springs, Miss., occupied by ' 
550 



Union troops. — Mississippi Central Rail- 
road destroyed. — Skirmishing commenced 
in front of Richmond, continuing until the 
26th. 

June 21. Rebel camp at Simon's Bluff destroyed 
| bv gunboat Crusader. 
I " 25. Battle at White Oak Swamp, Va. 
Union loss, 200 killed and wounded. 

" 26. Bombardment of Vicksburg com- 
menced.— Expedition up the Yazoo River. 
Two rebel gunboats destroyed.— It having 
become evident to General McClellan thai 
the rebel army in Richmond had been 
so largely reinforced that he could no 
longer hope to maintain his extended line 
of operations, he determined to change his 
base from the Pamunkey to the James 
River. The retreat occupied seven days, 
on each of which a severe battle was 
fought, commencing at Mechanicsville on 
the morning of this day. The total loss 
during the retreat was 15,224 killed, 
wounded, and missing, and the total hiss 
in the campaign on the Peninsulsi, from 
sickness, resignations, wounds, and death, 
is estimated at 36,0' '0. 

" 27. General Pope takes command of the 
Army of Virginia. — General Fremont, de- 
clining to serve in an inferior position, 
was relieved of his command. — Battle at 
Gaines' Mills, and at Coal Harbor, Va. — 
White House evacuated. 

" 28. Commodore Farragut's fleet passed the 
batteries at Vicksburg. — Fight at Garnett'j 
Farm, Va. — .McCiellan's entire army 
crossed the Chickahominy. 

" 29. Battles at Peach Orchard and Savags 
Station. 

" 30. Skirmish at Luray, Va.— Battles of 
White Oak Swamp, White Oak Creek, 
Charles City Cross Roads, and New Mar- 
ket Cross Roads, Va. 
July 1. Governors of the loval States revested 
'the President to call out 300,000 men. 
— Battle of Malvern Hills, Va. — Battle at 
Booneville, Miss. Union loss, 41 kilied 
and wounded. Rebel loss, 65 killed, 
wounded unknown. 

" 2. The Army of the Potomac reached 
Harrison's Landing, on the James River. 
— Canal at Vicksburg, designed to change 
the course of the Mississippi, commenced. 

" 3. Bombardment of Vicksburg by com- 
bined fleets of Commodore Fanagut and 
Captain Davis. 

" 5. Skirmish at Harrison's Landing. 

" 6. Fight near Memphis, Tenn. 

" 7- General Burnside, with a portion of 
his command, reached James River. — 
Fight near Hollv Springs. Miss.— Battle 
at Round Hill, Ark. Rebel loss, 94 killed, 
wounded, and prisoners. Union loss, 8 
killed and wounded. 

" 9. Engagements on Roanoke River, and 
at Hamilton, N.C— Fight at Tompkins- 
ville, Ky. 

" 10. Memphis, Mo., captured by rebel guer- 
rillas.— The President, at the request of 
the loval Governors, issued a call for 
300,000" volunteers. 

" 11. General Halleck appointed comman- 
der-in-chief of the U.S. Army. 

" 12. Skirmish at Culpepper, Va. 



AMERICAN HISTORY. 



luly 13. Capture of Murfreesborough.Tenn., by 
rebel General Forrest. Union loss, 33 
killed, 62 wounded, and 800 prisoners. 
Rebel loss, 50 killed, and 100 wounded. — 
Rebel cavalry attacked Orange Court- 
House, and tore up the railroad-track, 
and burnt the bridge over the Rapidan. 

" 15. Fight at Fayetteville, Ark.; 1600 
rebels routed. — Rebel ram Arkansas es- 
caped from the Yazoo River to Vicksburg. 

" 18. Mr. Lindsay, in British Parliament, 
introduced a resolution for the recogni- 
tion of the Southern Confederacy, and for 
mediation. 

" 21. A general exchange of prisoners of war 

agreed upon. 
" 22. Rebels captured Florence, Ala., and 

burnt a steamboat, a warehouse, and much 

government property. 
" 24. Martin Van Buren, ex-President, 

died. 

" 25 Siege of Vicksburg discontinued. 

" 27- Steamer Golden Gate burnt, near Man- 
zanilla; 180 lives lost, and $1,400,000 in 
treasure. — Skirmish near Patten, Mo., be- 
tween Missouri Militia and guerrillas. — 
Fight near Moore's Mills, Va. Rebels 
routed, with a loss of 52 killed and 100 
wounded. 

" 29. Guerrillas dispersed at Mount Ster- 
ling, Ky., with a loss of 8 killed, and 100 
prisoners. 

" 30. Skirmish near Brownsville, Mo. 

" 31. Rebels shelled the camp and shipping 
at Harrison's Landing, Va., killing 5, and 
wounding 2 men. 
Aug. 1. Expedition crossed James River and 
drove away the rebel batteries engaged in 
shelling Harrison's Landing.— Fight at 
Newark, Mo. Eight hundred guerrillas 
captured. 

" 2. Guerrilla fight at Ozark, Mo.— Gene- 
ral Burnside's army left Newport News 
to join General Pope. — Reconnoissance to 
Cox's Mill routed the 13th Virginia ca- 
valry, and burnt their encampment. 

" 4. The President ordered a draft for 
300,000 men.— General Butler, at New 
Orleans, ordered an assessment on all 
persons who contributed to the million- 
and-a-quarter rebel loan, of one-fourth of 
such contribution, to support the poor of 
that city. 

" 5. General Hooker defeated the rebels at 
Malvern Hills, capturing 4 guns and 128 
prisoners.— Attack upon Baton Rouge, 
La., by General Breckinridge.— Fight at 
Tazewell Gap, Tenn. Rebel loss, 225 
killed and wounded. Union loss, 318 
killed and wounded, and 50 prisoners. 

" 6. General Robert L. McCook murdered 
by guerrillas near Salem, Ala.— Com- 
modore Porter, with the Essex, destroyed 
the rebel ram Arkansas, near Baton 
Rouge. 

" 7. Fight at Kirkville, Ark. One hundred 
and twenty-eight rebels killed. Sixteen 
of the prisoners captured were hung for 
violating their parole.— Rebel cavalry sur- 
prised at Faulkner, Tenn. 

" 8. Order issued prohibiting persons liable 
to military duty from leaving the coin- 
try. 



Aug. 9. Battle at Tazewell, Tenn. Rebel loss, 
250 killed and wounded, and 213 wagons 
and 70 horses captured. — Battle of Cedar 
Mountain, Va. Union loss, 1250 killed 
and wounded, and 250 prisoners.— Fight at 
Sparta, Tenn. Thirty rebels killed. 

" 11. Fight at Kinderhook, Ky.— Buyou 
Sara occupied by Union troops. — Indepen- 
dence, Mo., surrendered to the rebels. 
Union loss, 20 killed, 230 prisoners, and a 
large amount of stores. 

" 12. Rebel General Morgan captured Gal- 
latin, Tenn., and 300 men and 60 horses. 
— Clarksville, Tenn., surrendered. 

'* 13. Collision on the Potomac between 
steamers General Peabody and West 
Point. Seventy -nine lives lost. 

" 16. General McClellan's army moved from 
Harrison's Landing, through Williams- 
burg and Yorktown, to Fortress Monroe, 
and thence to Alexandria, where it was 
united to that of Pope and Burnside.— 
Fight near Warfield, Ky., between 70 Ken- 
tucky Home Guards and 208 rebels. 

" 17. Governor Magoffin, of Kentucky, re- 
signed. 

" 18. General Pope retreated from Cedar 
Mountain towards the Rappahannock. 

" 19. Skirmish at White Oak Ridge, Mo. 

" 20. General Blunt drove the rebels across 
the Osage River, they abandoning their 
baggage and equipments.— Skirmish near 
Brandy Station. Va.— Captain Atkinson 
with 20 men repulsed 1000 guerrillas at 
Edgefield Junction, Tenn. 

" 21. Captain Goodwin and one company of 
34th Indiana regiment surrendered to 500 
rebel cavalry, after killing 25 of their as- 
sailants. 

" 22. Gen. Stuart's and Lee's cavalry at- 
tacked Catlett's Station, Va., capturing 
Gen. Pope's baggage and official papers, 
and destroying a large amount of stores. — 
Fight at Edgefield Station, Va. Rebel loss, 
7 killed, and 20 wounded. — Gen. Johnston 
defeated near Gallatin, Tenn., with a loss 
of 59 killed and wounded, and 300 prison- 
ers. 

" 23. General Pope retreated from Rappa- 
hannock Station, Va., destroying the rail- 
road-bridge, depot, and station-houses.— 
Severe fight near Richmond, Ky. Union 
loss, 10 killed, and 40 prisoners. 

" 24. Skirmish at Red Bend, Ky.— Rebels 
defeated at Cape Girardeau, Mo., with a 
loss of 30 killed, 50 wounded, and 16 pri- 
soners.— Rebel camp at Monroe, La., cap- 
tured. 

" 25. Cavalry fight at Waterford, Va.— Bat- 
tle near Bloomfield, Mo. Rebel loss, 20 
killed, 60 wounded, and many prisoners, 
60 horses, and 70 small arms. — Guerril- 
las surprised near Danville, Ky.— Rebels 
repulsed at Fort Donelson, Tenn. Loss, 
30 killed. 

" 26. Rebels appeared at Bristow and Ma- 
nassas Stations, and captured seven trains 
and ten locomotives, with immense quan- 
tities of military stores, and on the same 
evening surprised and captured three com 
panies of infantry at Manassas Junction. 
— Fight near Chattanooga, Tenn. 

" 27. Battle near Kettle Run. Va. 300 re- 

551 



CHART OF 



bels killed and wounded, and 700 captured. 
Union loss, 50 killed, and 200 wounded.— 
Skirmish at Bull Run. 
Aug .28. Fight near Woodbury, Tenn. Rebel loss, 
8 killed, 30 wounded, and 15 prisoners.— 
Fredericksburg, Va., evacuated by General 
Burnside, and the bridges blown up. 

" 29. Second battle of Bull Run, Va., lasting 
from daylight of the 29th until night on 
the 30th when General Pope ordered the 
whole force to fall back upon Centreville. 
Union loss, 4000 killed and wounded. 
Rebel loss estimated at 5000 killed and 
wounded. — Skirmish at Richmond, Ky. 

" 30. Fight at Bolivar, Tenn. Union loss, 
25 killed and wounded.— Battle at Rich- 
mond, Ky., between 9000 men under Ge- 
neral Manson, against 15,000 under Gene- 
ral Kirby Smith. Union loss, 250 killed, 
and 600 wounded. — Buckhannon and Wes- 
ton, Western Virginia, captured by rebels 
under Jenkins and Imboden. 

" 31. Union troops surprised at Morganfield, 
Ky. 

6ept. 1. Battle at Chantilly, Va., — Generals 
Kearny and Stevens killed. Loss, 1000 
killed and wounded. — Fight at Medon, 
Tenn. Rebel loss, 110 killed, and 300 
wounded and abandoned.— Rebel cavalry 
routed at Pittman's Ferry, Mo., and their 
camp captured. 
" 2. Engagement at Plymouth, N.C., be- 
tween 300 Union troops, under Sergeant 
Green, with 1400 rebels. After one hour's 
fighting, the rebels were repulsed with a 
loss of 30 killed, and 41 prisoners. — Gene- 
ral McClellan in command of all the 
troops for the defence of Washington and 
of the Armies of Virginia and of the Po- 
tomac, when they reached Arlington 
Heights. — Defeat of the rebels at Britton's 
Lane, Tenn. Rebel loss, 110 killed, and 
250 wounded. — Martial law declared in 
Cincinnati. Frankfort, Ky., occupied by 
General Kirby Smith.— Winchester, Va., 
evacuated hy Union ti'oops, and Fort Sigel 
blown up. — United States Army train of 
100 wagons captured near Fairfax Court- 
House, Va. 

" 3. Skirmish at Geyer Lake, Ky.— General 
Pope's army fell back from Centreville to 
Arlington Heights and Munson's Hill. 
— Pope superseded by General McClellan. 

" 4 — 6- The rebel army, under Lee, Long- 
street, Hill, and Jackson, crossed the Po- 
tomac, near Leeshurg. 

" 6. Colonel Lowe recaptured Clarksville, 
Tenn., driving out 450 guerrillas. — Union 
troops at Washington, N.C., attacked by 
1400 rebels, who were repulsed. Rebel 
loss, 30 killed and wounded, and 36 pri- 
soners. 

" 7. Frederick, the capital of Maryland, oc- 
cupied by General Lee.— Rebels repulsed 
at Martinsburg.Va., and 50 prisoners cap- 
tured.— Bloomfield, Mo., shelled by the 
rebels. 

" 8. General Lee issued a proclamation to 
the people of Maryland.— Fight atGauley, 
Va.— Skirmish at Poolesville, Md. 

" 9. Williamsburg, Va., captured by the 
n-bels. Colonel Campbell and 9 men were 
killed. 

552 



Sept. 10. Battle at Fayette, West Va., between 
401)0 rebels, under General Loring, and 
1200 Union troops, under Colonel Siber. 
Union loss, 100 killed and wounded.— 
Gauley, Va., evacuated, and $500,000 
worth of army stores destroyed. 

" 11. Hagerstown, Md., occupied by General 
Lee. — Governor Curtin, of Pennsylvania, 
called out 50,000 State militia, to repel 
threatened invasion by the rebel army 
in Maryland.— Genei-al Burnside's divi- 
sion of McClellan's army entered Fre- 
derick, the rebels withdrawing. 

" 12. General Kirby Smith fell back from 
the line of the Ohio River, and ceased to 
threaten Cincinnati. — Attack on Harper's 
Ferry commenced.— Rebels driven from 
Sugar Loaf Mountain, Md.— Jackson re- 
crossed the Potomac, for the purpose of 
attacking Harper's Ferry. 

" 13. Cavalry skirmish at Middletown, Md. 

. — Rebels advanced near the Pennsylvania 
line. — Colonel Miles abandoned Maryland 
Heights, and retreated to Harper's Ferry, 
having spiked the guns and thrown them 
down the Heights. 

" 14. Battle at Munfordsville, Ky. Rebels 
repulsed, with a loss of 500 killed and 
wounded, and two guns. — Battle of South 
Mountain, Md., between 40,000 rebels and 
the army under General McClellan. Ge- 
neral Reno was killed. Union loss, 443 
killed, 1806 wounded, and 76 missinc. 
Rebel loss, 500 killed, 2000 wounded, and 
1500 prisoners. General Garland, of N. 
C, killed.— Prentiss, Miss., burned by 
United States gunboats. 

" 15. Harper's Ferry surrendered to the 
rebels under Jackson and Hill. 11,583 
men, 73 pieces of artillery, 11,000 stand of 
arms, 1800 horses, with immense quantities 
of military stores, fell into their hands. 
— 2000 cavalry^who had escaped from Har- 
per's Ferry, captured Longstreet's ammu- 
nition-train. 

" 16. Fight at Pleasant Valley, Md. 

" 17. Battle of Antietam, Md., between the 
whole army of the rebels, 97,000 strong, 
and that of'General McClellan. The bat- 
tle commenced ai daylight, and continued 
for fourteen hours. During the night and , 
the next day the rebels retreated across 
the Potomac, abandoning their dead and 
wounded. Rebel loss at South Mountain 
and Antietam, killed 4000, wounded 18.742, 
prisoners 5000. Union loss, 2453 killed, 
12,222 wounded, and 76 missing. The re- 
bels lost 13 guns, with caissons,2 field-forges, 
and 39 stand of colors : 14,000 small arms 
were picked up on the battle-field. Ge- 
neral Mansfield, of the Union army, was 
killed, and, on the rebel side, Generals 
Starke, Anderson, Whiting, Branch, and 
Colqnit were killed. — Munfordsville, Ky., 
Surrendered to the rebels, with a garrison 
of 4000 men.— Cumberland Gap evacuated 
by General Morgan 
" 18. Harper's Ferry and Maryland evacu- 
ated bv the rebels. 
" 19. Battle at luka, Mis. General Rose- 
crans, with 12,000 men, defeated General 
Price, with 17,000. Union loss, 120 killed 



AMERICAN HISTORY. 



and 200 wounded. Rebel loss, 261 killed. j 
— Fight at Boonshoro, Ky. 
Sept. 20. Rebels routed at Boonsboro. Kv., with 
a loss of 33 killed and 25 wounded.— Fight j 
at Carthagb, Mo. — Fight at Shepherds- | 
town, Ta. Philadelphia Corn Exchange 
Regiment lost 45 killed, 121 wounded, and i 
112 missing. I 
" 21. General McCook drove 8000 rebels out ! 
of Munfordsville. Ky.— Kentucky Home | 
Guards surrendered to the rebels "at New- 
castle. 

" 22. President Lincoln issued a proclama- | 
tion, declaring that the slaves of all per- 
sons in States in rebellion against the 
United States on the 1st of January, 1863, 
should be forever free. — Rebels advanced 
on Louisville.— General Nelson ordered 
all women and children to leave Louis- 
ville, in anticipation of an attack. 

■ 23. Geueral Bragg demanded the surrender 
of Louisville. 

" 24. The Governors' Convention met at 
Altoona, Penna. 

" 25. General Buell's advance reached Louis- 
ville. Ky.— Town of Randolph, Miss., de- 
stroyed by United States gunboats. 

° 27. Rebel cavalry burned Augusta, Ky. 
— Buell's army entered Louisville, and 
General Bragg retired two days afterward. 
Union killed", 15 Rebel loss, 75 killed 
and wounded. 

" 28. Rebel General Anderson demanded 
the surrender of Nashville, Tenn.. which 
was refused by General Negley. — General 
Foster, with 12.00* 1 troops, left Newbern on 
a secret expedition to Goldsborough. 

" 29. General Nelson shot at Louisville, Ky., 
bv General Jefferson C. Davis. 

" 30. Rebels routed at Russellville, Ky. 50 
killed, and 15 taLen prisoners. — Fight at 
Newtonia, Mo. Union loss, 140 killed, 
wounded, and prisonersi 

let. 1. Western gunboat fleet transferred from 
the War to the Navy Department. — Sabine 
Pass, Texas, captured, with the fort. 2 
camps, 30 buildings, and 10 rebel vessels 
were burned. 

" 2. Skirmishing near Louisville. Ky. 

" 3. The rebels attacked at Franklin, on the 
Blackwater River, Va. Rebel loss, 200 
killed and wounded. — Fight at Black- 
water, near Suffolk, Va.— General Rose- 
crans attacked at Corinth, Miss., by 
40,1 K)0 rebels, under Price, Tan Dorn, and 
Lovell. 

" 4. Second day of the battle of Corinth. 
T»hich lasted from early in the morning of 
Oct. 3 until evening of" the 4th, and ended 
in the total rout of the rebels, they 
leaving 1423 dead on the field, besides 
2628 prisoners, and 3300 small arms cap- 
tared.— Fort at St. John's Bluff, Fla., cap- 
tured. 

" 5. Battle at Hatchie, Miss. — Jacksonville, 
Fla., captured.— Galveston, Tixas, sur- 
rendered. 

" 7. Battle at Lavefgne. Tenn.— Lexington, 
Ky., evacuated by the rebels. — Skirmish 
on the Rappahannock. 

" 8- Battle of Perryville, Ky. Union loss, 
2300 killed and wounded : rebel oss, as re- 
ported by General Bragg. 2500. 



Oct. 9. General Bragg continued his retreai 
from Perryville.— Galveston. Texas, occu 
pied by Commodore Renshaw. 

" 10. Ge'neral Stuart, with 1800 rebel cavalry 
and 2 field-pieces, having crossed the Po- 
tomac on the 9th, captured Chambersburg, 
Penna., and seized a large amount of army 
clothing and burned the railroad-depot. 
They retreated on the 11th. 

" 11. Fight at Danville, Ky. 500 rebels cap- 
tured. 

" 12. Stuart's cavalry recrossed the Potomao 
near Monocacy Creek, having made a 
complete circuit of the army in Mary- 
land. 

" 14. Lexington, Ky., occupied by Union 

troops.— General Bragg retreated from 

Camp Dick Robinson. 
" 15. Expedition up Appalachieola River, 

Fla.— Union troops advance'! to Paris, Ky. 
" 16. Fight near Charlestown, Va. 
" 17. Rebel raid into Shawneetown, Kansas. 
" 18. Ten rebels sh^t at Palmyra, Mo., by 

order of General McNeil, of the Missouri 

State Militia. 
" 19. Skirmish at Catlett's Station, Va. 
" 20. Thoroughfare Gap occupied by General 

Sehurz.— General McClellan's advance 

crossed the Potomac at Berlin. 
" 21. Skirmish at Lovettsville, Va.— Expe- 
dition sent out to destroy the Charleston 

k Savannah Railroad. 
" 22. Rebels evacuated Martinsburg, Va.-- 

Battle at Pea Ridge, Ark. 
" 23. Fight at Waverlv, Tenn., and defeat 

Of the rebels. Rebel "loss, 25 killed, and 26 

prisoners. 

" 24. Fight at Morgantown, Ky. — Donald- 

sonville. La., captured. 
" 25. Skirmish on the Blackwater River, 

Va. 

" 27. Skirmish at Snicker's Gap, Va. 

*' 28. Fight at Cross Hollows, Ark. 

" 30. Napoleon proposed to England and 
Russia a plan for mediation in American 
affairs.— General O. M. Mitch el died at 
Beaufort, S.C. — General Buell removed, 
and General Rosecrans appointed to his 
command. 

" 31. Railroad-train captured by rebels near 
Manassas. — Bombardment of Tampa Bay, 
Fla. 

Nov. 1. Skirmishing at Aldie and Philomont, 
Va. 

" 2. Fight at Snicker's Gap. Va. 

" 3. General Sickles occupied Warrenton, 
Va. — Skirmish at Thoroughfare Gap, Va. 
—Manassas evacuated, and occupied by 
Union troops. 

" 4. Haymarket, Va., burned. 

" 5. General Foster occupied Hamilton, N.C. 
— Rebels attacked Nashville, and were re- 
pulsed — The first telegraphic message sent 
from New York to San Francisco, and an- 
swer received the same day. 

*' 7- Rappahannock Station and Warrenton 
occupied by the Union advance. 

" S. 300 Minnesota Indians ordered to be 
hung.— General McClellan, at Warrenton, 
received the order removing him and as- 
signing the command to General Burn- 
side. 

" 9. Capt. Dalgrehn's cavalry made a dash 
553 



CHAKT OF 



iiito Fredericksburg, Va.— St. Mary's, Fla., 
bombarded. 

Nov. 10. Fight at AmosviJe, Va. — Skirmish at 
Lebanon, Tenn. 
" 11. West Liberty, Ky., burned by the re- 
bels. 

" 12. Fight near Newborn, N.C. 

" 13. Skirmish at Blackwater, Va.— Holly 

Springs, Miss., occupied by the Union 

army. 

" 14. Skirmish at Jefferson, Va. 

" 15. The Army of the Potomac commenced 
the advance upon Fredericksburg. — Skir- 
mish at Falmouth. — The Russian Govern- 
ment declined taking part in Napoleon's 
plan for intervention. 

** 16. General Bayard occupied Falmouth.— 
Severe skirmish near Nashville, Tenn. 

" 17. General Burnside's army arrived at 
Falmouth. 

" 18. Skirmish at Chattanooga.— Warrenton 
evacuated. 

" 19. Fight at Blackwater and Suffolk, Va. 
" 20. Rebel provision-train captured near 

Clarksville, Tenn.— Skirmish at Bull Run 

bridge, Va. 

" 21. General Sumner demanded the sur- 
render of Fredericksburg. 

" 22. All political prisoners confined in the 
forts of the United States -were released. 

" 27 Rebel attack upon Newbern, N.C. 

" 28. Battle at Cave Hill, Ark. 

" 29. Fight at Snicker's Ferry, Va. 
Dec. 1. Grenada, Miss., occupied by Union 
forces under General Hovey. 

" 2. Abbeville, Miss., evacuated by the re- 
bels. 

" 4. Winchester.Va., surrendered, and occu- 
pied by General Geary. 

" 6. Hartsville, Tenn., surrendered to the 
guerrilla General Morgan. Union loss, 
50 killed and wounded.— Battle near Fa- 
yetteville, Ark. Union loss, 000 killed and 
wounded. Rebel loss, 900.— Pirate Alabama 
captured the California steamer Ariel. 

" 9. Concoi-dia, Miss., bombarded by the 
Union gunboats. 

" 10. Engagement at Port Royal, on the 
Rappahannock. 

" 11. Fight at Blackwater, Va.— General 
Burnside commenced laying his pontoon 
bridges across the Rappahannock. The 
rebels resisting, he shelled the city from 
140 pieces of artillery, and, under cover 
of their fire, the troops succeeded in cross- 
ing, and occupied Fredericksburg, the 
enemy retiring to his fortifications on the 
heights west of the city. — Gunboat Cairo 
suiuv, uy ui« explosion oi a torpelo, in the 
Yazoo River. 
Dec. 13. Battle at Tuscumbia, Ala.— Battle of 
Fredericksburg, and repulse of the Union 
armr. Generals Taylor, Bayard, and 
Jackson killed. Union loss, killed, 1152, 
wounded, 7000, prisoners, 700. Rebel loss, 
reported by Gen. Lee at 1800. 

'* 14. ArtilleYy fighting at Fredericksburg. 
—Battle of Kingston, N.C. 

" 15. General Banks's expedition arrived at 
New Orleans. General Banks superseded 
General Butler in command.— Rebel raid 
into Poolesville, Md. 

" 16. Battle of Whitehall. N.C— The Army 
of the Potomac reerossed the Rappahan- 

554 



nock, and ocoupied the same position a* 
before the crossing. 

" 17. Baton Rouge, La., reoccupied by Uni- 
ted States troops.— Battle at Goldsborough, 
N.C, and destruction of the railroad 
bridge and track by General Foster. 

" 18. Skirmish at Lexington, Tenn. 

" 19. Holly Springs, Miss., surrendered to 
the rebels. 1800 men and 150 officers were 
paroled. Clothing, arms, ammunition, 
medical stores, and cotton, valued at more 
than $2,000,000. were destroyed. 

" 20. Fight near Grand Junction, Miss. 

" 22. In consequence of a Congressional de- 
mand on the President for a change in his 
Cabinet, Secretaries Seward and Chase 
tendered their resignations, which were 
not accepted, but finally withdrawn. 

" 23. Jefferson Davis issued a proclamation 
announcing that General Butler and any 
of his officers captured should be hung 
and ordering the exchange of Union offi- 
cers to cease.— 4000 rebels at<f,cked a part 
of General Sigel's command tt Dumfries, 
Va. 

" 26. Thirty-eight of the 3CO condemned 
Minnesota Indians hung, and the remain- 
der pardoned. — General Ro/ocrans moved 
from Nashville towards Mr/freesborough. 
— Attack upon Vicksburg, Miss., by Gene- 
ral Sherman. 

" 27. Van Buren, Ark., captured by Gene- 
rals Herron and Blunt. 2 uteamboats and 
120 prisoners oaptured. 

" 28. New Madrid, Miss., evacuated.— The 
Louisiana State-House, at Eaton Rouge, 
burned. 

" 29. Battle of Murfreesborpugh, Tenn. 
Union loss, 1500 killed, 6000 wounded, and 
4000 prisoners. 

" 31. The iron-clad steamer Mraitor foun- 
dered at sea near Cape llei .v. Siiteen 
of the officers and crew wan .ost. 



1863. 

Jan. 1. President Lincoln proclaimed the free- 
dom of slaves in all states in rebellion.— 
Galveston, Texas, captured by rebels.— 
Rebels defeated at Red Mound, Tenn. 

j " 3. Conclusion of the battle of Stone River, 
which commenced Dec. 29. — Gen. Bragg 
evacuated Murfreesborough and retreated 
to Tullahoma. 
" 8. Battle at Springfield, Mo., lasting two 
days.— Lieut. W. B. Cushing, U. S. N., 

i captures rebel redoubt near Fort Caswell, 

i N. C. 

" 9. First official declaration of exchange of 
I prisoners. 

" 11. Arkansas Post surrendered to Gen. 
McClernand. 4720 prisoners captured. 

" 14. Gens. Butler, Milroy, and McNeil de- 
clared outlaws by Jefferson Davis. — Naval 
battle near Pattersonville, La. 

" 15. Mound City, Ark., burned. 

*' 17. U. S. steamer Hatteras sunk by the 
privateer Alabama, off Galveston.— Pol- 
locksville, N. C, captured . from the 
rebels. 

" 20. Gov. Andrew, of Massachusetts, author- 
ized to enlist colored troops. 
" 21. Gen. Fitz-John Porter cashiered fof 



AMERICAN HISTORY. 



disobedience of orders at the battle of Bull 
Bun, in Aug. 1862. 
Jan. 23. Arkansas Post evacuated, and the fortifi- 
cations blown up. 

" 26. Gens. Burnside, Franklin, and Sumner 
relieved, and Gen. Hooker appointed to the 
command of the Armj of the Potomac. 

" 29. Battle with Indians at Bear Biver, Wash- 
ington Territory. 

" 30. Battle near Suffolk, Va. 

" 31. Rebel iron-clads attack the blockading fleet 
off Charlestou.— Capture of the Princess Eoyal 
at Charleston. 
Feb. 1. Rebel attack upon Island No. 10, in the 
Mississippi. 

" 3. Rebel attack upon Fort Donelson repulsed. 

" 5. Gen. Hooker orders the reorganization of 
the Army of the Potomac— Three rebel steam- 
ers destroyed by the Queen of the West, on 
the Red River. 

" 12. Rebel privateer Florida burns the ship 
Jacob Bell. 

" 18. Siege of Vicksburg commenced. 

" 26. Cherokee Indians repeal the act of seces- 
sion passed in 1861, and also abolish slavery 
among them. 

" 28. Bebel steamer Nashville destroyed, under 
Fort McAllister. 
Mar. 5. Battle of Spring Hill, Tenn. 

" 6. Gen. Hunter, iu command at Hilton Head, 
orders a draft of able-bodied negroes in his 
department. 

" 7. Rebels defeated at Unionville, Tenn. 

" 10. Jacksonville, Fla., taken possession of by 
the 1st and 2d S. C. Colored Troops. 

" 11. Peace resolutions introduced into the rebel 
Congress. 

" 14. Admiral Farragut attacks Port Hudson 

duriug the night, a portion of his fleet passing 

the batteries. 
" 14. Newbern, N. C, bombarded by rebel Gen. 

Pettigrew. 
" 17. Battle at Kelly's Ford, Virginia. 
" 21. Gen. E. V. Sumner died. 
" 22. Mt. Sterling, Ky., captured by rebels. 
" 24. Slavery abolished in West Virginia, by 

.amending the State Constitution. 
«' 27. Jacksonville, Fla., evacuated and burned 

by the Union troops. 
" 3i. Battle at Somerset, Ky., and defeat of the 

rebels under Pegram. 
April 1. Admiral Farragut succeeds in passing 

rebel batteries at Grand Gulf, Miss. — Bread 

riot in Eichmond.— Palmyra, Tenn., burned. 
" 2. Rebel privateer Georgia sails from Green- 
ock, Scotland, for the coast of France, where 

she receives her armament. 
" 7. Attack upon Fort Sumter by the New 

Ironsides and the Monitor fleet. 
" 10. Battle at Franklin, Tenn., between Gen. 

Granger and the rebel Gen. Van Dorn. 
" 12. Admiral Dupnnt'o iron-clad fleet returns to 

Port Boyal from Charleston. 
" 13. New Iberia, La., captured by Union 

troops. 

" 16. Admiral Porter's flwet passes the batteries 
at Vicksburg. 

" 17. Gen. Grierson starts on a cavalry raid 
through the State of Mississippi, and succeeds 
in destroying over $6,000,000 worth of pro- 
perty.— Rebels abandon the siege of Washing- 
ton, N. C. 

" IS. Col. Harrison defeats 3000 rebels at Fay- 

etteville. Ark. 
" 26. Rebel attack upon Cape Girardeau, Mo., 

repulsed by Gen. McN'eil. 
" 28. Army of the Potomac crosses the Rappa- 

bnnnock at Fredericksburg. 
" 29. Rebel Gen. Joues captures Fairmount, 



West Va. — Admiral Porter attacks and silences 
the rebel batteries at Grand Gulf, Miss. 
April 30. Gen. Grant crosses the Mississippi near 
Grand Gulf. 

May 1. Gen. Grant defeats the rebels under Gen. 
Bowen, at Port Gibson, Miss. 
" 2. Battle at Chancellorville, Va., continued 
through three days. — Stonewall Jackson 
killed. 

" 3. Battle at Fredericksburg, Va., in which the 
Union troops, under Gen. Sedgwick, succeed in 
carrying the heights of St. Marye. 

" 4. Gen. Hooker recrosses the Rappahannock 
during the night, leaving the dead and many 
wounded in the hands of the enemy. Total 
Union loss, about 15,000. 

" 7. Rebel batteries at Warrenton, Miss., de- 
stroyed. 

" 8. Bombardment, of Port Hudson, Miss. — Gen. 

Stoneman returns from a raid iu the rear of 

Lee's army.iu which he had advanced to within 

two miles of Eichmond. 
" 12. Bayruond, Miss., captured by Gen. Mc- 

Pherson. 

" 13. Yazoo City, Miss., captured by a Union 
fleet, and the rebel navy-yard and three rams 
destroyed. 

" 14. Gen. Grant defeats Gen. Johnston at Jack- 
son, Miss. 

" 16. Gen. Grant defeats Gen. Pemberton at 
Champion Hills, Miss., with a loss of over 5000 
in killed, wounded, and prisoners.— C. L. Val- 
landigham convicted of treason and ordered to 
close confinement in Fort Warren. 

" 17. Gen. Grant defeats Gen. Pemberton at Big 
Black Bridge, Miss., capturing 3000 prisoners 
and 29 pieces of artillery. 

" 18. Gen. Grant invests Vicksburg. — Haines's 
Bluff, near Vicksburg, abandoued by the 
rebels. 

" 19. Rebels defeated at Winchester, Va., by Gen. 
Milroy. 

" 21. Gen. Grant assaults the works at Vicks- 
burg, and is repulsed, after nine hours' fight- 
ing. 

" 22. Second assault, and repulse at Vicksburg. 

— The President rescinds the order of Gen. 

Burnside, and directs that C. L.Vallandigham 

be sent South. 
" 24. Austin, Miss., burned by Col. Ellett. 
" 27. Gen. Banks orders an assault upon the rebel 

works at Port Hudson. 
" 28. The first colored regiment organized in 

the North leaves Massachusetts for Hilton 

Head. 

June 1. Bebels evacuate James Island, S. C. 
" 4. Gen. Wheeler attacks the Union forces near 

Murfreesborough. Tenn., and is repulsed. 
" 8. Battle and Union victory at Milliken's 
Bend, La. 

" 9. Cavalry battle at Beverly Ford, on the 
Rappahannock, between 8000 cavalry, under 
Buford and Gregg, and the rebel cavalry 
under Stuart. — Rebel cavalry enter Podes- 
ville, Md., and destroy a camp located there. 

" 14. Winchester, Va., captured by the rebels. — 
Second assault upon the works at Port Hud- 
son, and repulse of the Uuiou troops. — Mar- 
tiiisburg, Va., captured by rebel Gen. Rhodes. 

" 15. Bebels under Jenkins enter Chambers- 
burg, Pa.— Advance of Lee's army cross the 
Potomac at Hugerstown. 

" 17. Rebel iron-clad ram Atlanta captured by 
the monitor Weehawken, after fifteen minutes' 
engagement. 

" 18. Gen. Kilpatrick defeats the rebel cavalry 
at Aldie, Va. 

" 19. McCounellsburg, Penna., sacked by the 
rebels. 

655 



CHART OF 



June 20. Rebel occupation of Frederick, Md. 

" 21. General Pleasnnton defeats Stuart's cav- 
alry at Ashby's Gap. 

" 22. C. L. Vallaudigham arrives at Nassau, 
N. P., having run the blockade in a rebel 
steamer. 

" 25. Col. Spear's 11th Pennsylvania Cavalry 
advance within six miles of Richmond.— Gen. 
McPherson captures a rebel fort at Vicksburg, 
— Carlisle, Pa., occupied by rebel troops. 

" 26. Gettysburg, Pa., occupied by Gen. Early. 
— Rear Admiral Foote dies at New York. 

" 27. Gen. Meade assumes command of the Army 
of the Potomac— Revenue-cutter Caleb Cush- 
ing captured in Portland harbor by rebel 
pirates, and afterwards destroyed. — York, Pa., 
occupied by rebels.— Susquehanna bridge at 
Columbia destroyed. 

" 29. Rebel army concentrates at Gettysburg, Pa. 

" 30. Battle at Hanover Junction, Pa. 
July 1. Commencement of battle of Gettysburg. 

" 3. Closing of the battle of Gettysburg, and de- 
feat of the rebel army under Gen. Lee, with 
the loss of one-third of his army.' 

" 4. Vicksburg surrendered to Gen. Grant, hav- 
ing withstood a siege of over two months. The 
garrison numbered 31,200 men. — Vice-Presi- 
dent Stephens, of the rebel government, ap- 
plies for permission to visit Washington to 
confer with the authorities, and is refused.— 
Union victory at Helena, Ark. 

" 5. Gen. Sherman, in pursuitof Gen. Johnston, 
overtakes and defeats him on Big Black River, 
Miss. 

" 7. Natchez captured by the Union fleet. 

" 8. Port Hudson, La., surrenders to the United 
States Army under Gen. Banks ; 5500 prisoners 
captured.— "Cavalry fight at Hagerstown, Md. 

" 10. Gen. Gillmore landed on Morris Island, S. 
Carolina. 

" 13. Yazoo City captured by the Union forces. 
— Rebel army reerosses the Potomac at Wil- 
liamsport, Md., during the night.— Commence- 
ment of the draft-riots in New York. 

" 14. Williamsport, Md., occupied by Union 
forces. 

" 16. Gen. Sherman captures Jackson, Miss. 

" 17. Steamer Imperial arrives at New Orleans 
from St. Louis,— the first since the secession of 
Louisiana. — Suppression of the New York 
draft-riots. 

" 18. Assault upon Fort Wagner, Morris Island, 

by Gen. Strong. 
" 20. Gen. Morgan's raiding party captured at 

Buffington, Ohio. 
" 24. Indian battle at Big Mound, Dakota. 
" 26. Gen. John Morgan captured at .New Lisbon, 

Ohio. 

" 29. Battle at Paris, Ky. 
Aug. 1. Cavalry fight at Brandy Station, Va. 
" 17. Granada, Miss., captured and occupied by 
Union troops. — Bombardment of Fort Sumter. 
" 20. Massacre of 180 Citizens, and burning of 

Lawrence, Kansas, by Quantrell's guerrillas. 
' 21. Gen. Gillmore shells the city of Charleston. 
" 27. Battle at Rocky Gap, W. Va. 
" 30. The Army of the Cumberland crosses the 
Tennessee River. 
Sept. 6. Fort Wagner captured by Gen. Gillmore. 
" 8. Rebels evacuate Chattanooga. 
" 9. Rebels retreat from Cumberland Gap. 
" 15. Writ of habeas corpus suspended by Presi- 
dent Lincoln. 
" 19 and 20. Battle of Chickamauga, Tenn. v be- 
tween the forces of Gen. Rosecrans and those 
of Gen. Bragg. 
Oct. 6. Rebels attempt to destroy the New Iron- 
sides, in Charleston harbor. — Rebels on Look- 
out Mountain bombard Chattanooga. 
556 



Oct. 8. Battle at Farmington, Tenn. 
" 9. Seizure of rebel rams by the British Go- 
vernment. 

" 10. Cavalry battle at Madison C. H., Va 

Battle at Blue Springs, Ky. 
" 11. Defeat of the rebel army at Colliersville, 

Tenn. 

" 14. Battle at Bristow Station, Va. 

" 19. Gen. Rosecrans relieved of his command, 

Gen. Thomas succeeding. 
" 25. Union victory at Pine Bluff, Ark. 
" 28. Lookout Valley captured by Gen. Hooker. 
Nov. 4. Gen. Banks's Texas expedition lands at 

Brazos Island. 
" 7. Rebels defeated at Rappahannock Station, 

Va. 

" 17. Knoxville invested by rebel forces. 

" 19. Dedication of the National Cemetery at 
Gettysburg, Penna. 

" 25. Battle at Chattanooga, and capture of 
Lookout Mountain and Missionary Ridge. — 
Gen. Meade crosses the Rapidan at Culpepper 
and Germania Ford. 

" 27. General John Morgan escapes from the 
jail at Columbus, Ohio.— Battle at Mine Run, 
Va.— Battle at Ringgold, Ga. 

" 29. Rebel assault upon Fort Saunders, at 
Knoxville, repulsed. 
Dec. 1. Gen. Meade reerosses the Rapidan at 
Mine Run. — Siege of Knoxville raised, the 
rebels retreating towards Virginia. 

" 6. The monitor Weehawken sinks off Morris 
Island, with thirty of her crew. 

" 7. Steamer Chesapeake seized by rebel pas- 
sengers while on a trip from New York to 
Portland. 

' " 8. Amnesty Proclamation issued by the Presi- 
dent. 

" 14. Union troops defeated at Bean's Station, 
Tenn. 

" 16. Gen. Averill cuts the Virginia and Tennes- 
see Railroad at Salem, Va., and destroys 
160,000 b'ushels of grain. 

" 17. Steamer Chesapeake captured in Sambro 
Harbor, Nova Scotia, and turned over to the 
British authorities. 

" 23. The Red River expedition leaves Port 
Hudson. 

" 28. Battle at Charleston, Tenn.— Rebel autho- 
rities refuse to enter into negotiations with 
Gen. Butler. 

" 29. Battle at Mossy Creek, Tenn. 

1864. 

Jan. 3. Defeat and capture of 280 men at Jones- 
ville, Va., under Major Beers. 

" 11. Gen. Banks issues a proclamation for an 
election for St:ite officers of Louisiana. 

" 17. Battle at Dandridge, Tenn., between Gen. 
Sturgis and Gens. Hood and BUshrod Johnson. 

" 20. Loyal provisional State government or- 
ganized in Arkansas. 

" 25. Corinth evacuated, and Union troops con- 
centrated at Memphis.— Battle at Athens, 
Tenn. 

" 28. Battle at Fair Gardens, Tenn.— Scotsville, 

Tenn., captured by rebels. 
Feb. 3. Gen. Sherman's army leaves Vicksburg on 

a raid through the State of Mississippi. 
" 4. Defeat of rebel Gen. Earlv at Moorfield, 

West Va. 

" 5. Gen. Sherman reaches Jackson, the capi- 
tal of Mississippi.— Battle at Yazoo City. 

" 6. Expedition sentout by Gen. Butler, intended 
to release Union prisoners near Richmond, 
fails, the rebels having been apprized of the 
movement by a deserter. — A part of the Army 
of the Potomac crosses the Rapidan, to ascer- 
tain the strength and location of the enemy. 



AMERICAN HISTORY. 



Feb. 8. Gen. Gillmore's Florida expedition lands 
at Jacksonville, Fla. 
" 8. Destruction of Colt's armory at New Haven, 

Conn., by tire. 
" 10. Escape of 109 Union officers from the 
Libby Prison by tunnelling under the prison- 
walls. 

" 14. Gainesville, Fla., captured.— Gen. Sher- 
man reached Meridian, where he destroyed 
the railroads and about 2,000,000 bushels of 
grain. 

" 15. The Admiralty Court of Nova Scotia re- 
stored the Chesapeake to her owners. 

" 17. Salt-works at St. Mark's, Fla., destroyed by 
a naval expedition. 

" 18. Gen. Sherman reached Quitman, Miss. — 
The Housatonic destroyed in Charleston har- 
bor by a rebel torpedo boat. 

" 20. Gen. Longstreet recreated from Strawberry 
Plaius, near Kuoxville. — Battle of Olustee, 
Fla., and defeat of the Union troops under 
Gen. Seymour, with the loss of 1000 in killed 
and wounded. 

" 21. Battle at West Point, Miss., between Gen. 
A.J. Smith, and Gens. Forrest, Lee.and Roddy. 

" 25. Geu. Smith's expedition, returning, reached 
Memphis, bringing back 1500 mules and horses 
and over 2000 negroes. 

" 28. State election in Louisiana held in obe- 
dience to Gen. Banks's proclamation. — Gen. 
Kilpatrick left Stevensport on a raid to Rich- 
mond, and succeeded in advancing to the second 
line of works guarding that city, but, not being 
properly supported, was obliged to retreat by 
way of York town. 
Mar. 1. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant nominated lieuten- 
ant-general in the United States Army. 

" 9. Suffolk, Va., recaptured by colored'troops. 

" 14. Lieutenant-General Grant appointed to 
command the armies of the United States ; Gen. 
Halleck relieved, and appointed Chief of Staff 
of the army. — Fort de Russey, at the mouth of 
Red River, captured by Gen. A. J. Smith. 

" 15. Admiral Porter's fleet captures Alexandria, 
La. 

" 24. Union City, Ky., surrendered to the rebel 
Gen. Forrest. • 

" 25. Paducah, Ky., attacked by Gen. Forrest. 

" 28. Riot at Charleston, 111., between disloyal 
citizens and soldiers, resulting in the death of 
seven persons.— Battle at Cane River, La., be- 
tween Gen. Smith's forces and the rebels under 
Gen. Dick Taylor, who were defeated after a 
fight of three hours. ' 

" 30. Rebels defeated at Mount Elba, Ark. 
April 1. Steamer Maple-Leaf destroyed by a torpedo 
in St. Johu's River, Fla. 

" 6. Election in Maryland resulted in favor of a 
convention to amend the State Constitution. 

" 7. Gen. Banks's cavalry-force checked beyond 
Pleasant Hill, La. 

" 8. Battle at Pleasant Hill, La., resulting in the 
defeat of the entire force of Gen. Banks and 
the abandonment of the expedition. 

" 9. Battle of Pleasant Hill resumed, and the 
rebel advance checked by Gen. Smith's reserve, 
thus enabling the Union forces to withdraw 
safely to Grand Ecore. 

" 12. Fort Pillow, Ky., surrendered to the rebels 
under Forrest. After the surrender, nearly 400 
of the garrison were massacred, including the 
women and children who had taken refuge 
there. 

" 17. The rebels assault Fort Gray, near Ply- 
mouth, N. C. but are repulsed. 

" 18. The rebel iron-clad ram Albemarle attacks 
the Union fleet at Plymouth, destroying the 
gunboats Southfield and Bombshell. 

" 19. Gen. Steele captures Camden, Arkansas. 



April 20.- Plymouth, North Carolina, captured by 
the rebel Gen. Hoke. 

" 30. Little Washington, N. C, evacuated. 
May 2. Defeat of rebel cavalry at Bolivar, Tenn. 

" 4. The Army of the Potomac crossed the Rapi- 
dan in a new movement against Richmond. 

" 5. Gen. Kautz's cavalry left Suffolk for the 
purpose of destroying the Weldon Railroad. — 
Engagement in Albemarle Sound, between 
rebel ram Albemarle and the gunboat Sassacus. 
—Gen. Butler's forces land at City Point, Vir- 
ginia.— Battle of the Wilderness, Spottsylvania 
county, Va., commenced. 

" 6. Gunboat Commodore Jones blown up by a 
torpedo in the James River. — Second day of 
the battle of the Wilderness. 

" 7. Gen. Grant moved from the Wilderness 
towards Spottsylvania Court-House, followed 
closely by Lee. — Gen. Thomas, advancing from 
Chattanooga, occupied Tunnel Hill. 

" 9. Gen. Crook defeats the rebels at Cloyd 
Mountain, West Virginia.— Gen. Sheridan 
succeeds in destroying Lee's communications 
with Richmond.— Gen. Sedswick killed. 

" 10. Battle at New River Bridge, West Vir- 
ginia. 

" 11. Ashland Station captured by Gen. Sheri- 
dan.— Gen. J. E. B. Stuart killed. 

" 12. Conclusion of the battle of Spottsylvania 
Oourt-House, which commenced on the 10th 
instant and ended in the defeat of Lee's 
army. 

" 13. The fleet forming part of the Red River 
expedition, haviug beeu caught by the rapid 
falling of the water, released by the coustruc- 
tion of a dam, which enabled the vessels to pass 
over the shallow water. — Gen. Sherman ad- 
vances to Resaca, Ga. 

" 14. Dalton evacuated by Johnston. 

" 15. Battle of Resaca, Ga., ending in the defeat 
of the rebels and the evacuation of the town.— . 
Battle at Newmarket, Va., and defeat of Gen. 
Sigel. 

" 16. Battle at Port Walthall, and defeat of Gen. 
Butler, who withdrew to Bermuda Hundred. 

" 18. Gen. Kautz's cavalry returns to City Point, 
having destroyed portions of three railroads 
leading to Richmond. — A fraudulent proclama- 
tion, calling for 400,000 men, published in the 
New York papers.— Kingston and Rome, Ga., 
occupied by Geo. Sherman. 

" 20. Attack "upon Gen. Butler at Bermuda Hun- 
dred repulsed. — Gen. Grant moved from 
Spottsylvania to the south of the Mattapony 
River. 

" 21. Gen. Beauregard's forces attack Gen. But- 
ler, and are repulsed with heavy loss. 

" 22. Gen. Grant advanced to the North Anna 
River. 

" 23. Gen. Sherman's army commenced a flank 
movement to the right of Allatoona range.— 
Gen. Grant crossed the North Anna River. 

" 24. Fitzhugh Lee's cavalry defeated by negro 
troops on James River. 

" 28, Ba ttle of Dallas, Ga., resulting in the repulse 
of Gen. Johnston's army. 

" HO. Battle of Bethesda Church, Va. 

'•' 31. Battle at Cold Harbor, Va., which continued 
three days. 

June 1. Battle in the James River between rebel 
iron-clads and the monitors. 
" 2. Allatoona Pass captured by Gen. Stone- 
man. 

" 5. Battle at Piedmont, Va. 

" 8. Paris. Ky., captured by Gen. John H. Mor- 
gan. — Abraham Lincoln renominated for the 
PresHency. 

" 10. Gen. Kautz's cavalry succeeds in entering 
Petersburg. 

557 



CHART OF 



June 12. Gen. Grant withdraws from Cold Harbor, 
crossing the Chickahominy and the James 
River without opposition. — Gen. Sheridan re- 
pulsed at Gordonsville. 
" 13. Gen. John H. Morgan defeated at Cynthi- 
ana, Kv. 

" 15. Battle of Pine Mountain, Ga. 

" 17. Gen. Hunter's army repulsed four miles 

from Lynchburg. 
" 19. The pirate Alabama sunk off Cherbourg 

by the United States gunboat Kearsarge, after 

a contest of two hours. 
" 20. Petersburg bombarded by Gen. Birney. — 

Battle at Kenesaw Mountain, Ga. 
" 22. Battle at Jerusalem Plank Road, near 

Petersburg. 

" 23. The Weldon Kailroad destroyed by Gen. 
"Wright. 

" 24. The Maryland Convention adopts the 
amendment to the State Constitution abolish- 
ing slavery. 

" 25. Fight at Big Shanty, Georgia. 

" 26. Gen. Pillow attacks Lafayette, Tenn., and 
is repulsed with great loss. 

" 27. Gen. Sherman assaults the rebels at Kene- 
saw Mountain, but is repulsed, with a loss of 
3000. 

" 30. Kenesaw Mountain evacuated in conse- 
quence of a flank movement of Gen. Sher- 
man, the rebels falling back to the Chatta- 
hoochie. 

July 2. Gen. Hunter retreats to Charleston, "West 
Virginia. 

" 3. Gen. Sherman occupies Kenesaw, Georgia. 

" 6. Gen. Early crosses the Potomac near Antie- 
tam. — Hagerstown occupied by the rebels. 

" 8. Frederick, Md., occupied by the rebels, Gen. 
Wallace falling back. 

" 9. Battle at the Monocacy, in which the rebels 
under Breckinridge defeat the forces of Gen. 
Wallace, who retreats towards Baltimore. 

" 11. The rebels advauce to Magnolia, on the 
Baltimore and Washington Railroad, capturing 
two trains, which they destroy. — Gov. Brad- 
ford's residence, four miles from Baltimore, 
burned by rebel troops. 

" 12. Attack upon Fort Stevens, near Washing- 
ton, repulsed, with the loss of about 300 killed 
and wounded on the rebel side; the rebels 
then retreated towards Edwards' Ferry. — Ap- 
y'ication made by rebel agents in Canada to 
open negotiations for peace. 

" 13. Battle at Tupelo, Miss. 

" 15. Gen. Wright's corps crossed the Potomac 
in pursuit of the rebels. 

" 17. Gen. Johnston removed, and Gen. Hood 
appointed in hi; place. — Battle at Grand Gulf, 
Miss. 

" 18. Gen. Sherman reaches Atlanta.— Defeat 
of rebels at Snicker's Gap, Va. — President 
calls for 500,000 volunteers. 

" 20. Battle at Winchester.— Rebels attack Gen. 
Sherman at Decatur, Georgia. 

" 24. Gen. Crook defeated at Winchester, Va. 

" 26. Battle at Haxall's Farm, near Petersburg. 

«' 28. Battle of Four Mile Creek, Va.— Rebels 
cross the Potomac at Willi arnsport, and ad- 
vance towards Chambersburg. 

" 30. Explosion of the mine at Petersburg, and 
assault upon the rebel works. — Chambersburg 
occupied by rebels. 

" 31. Gen. Stoueman's force surrendered at 
Hillsboro, Georgia. 
Aug. 2. Pennsylvania Constitution amended, al- 
lowing soldiers in the field to vote. 

" 5. Admiral Farragut passed the forts below 
Mobile. 

" 7. Gen. Averill defeated the rebels at Moore- 
field, Va. 

558 



Aug. 8. Fort Gaines, below Mobile, surrendered. 

" 10. Bombardment of Atlanta. — Cavalry fight 
at Abbeville, Miss. 

" 15. Battle at Deep Bottom, Va. 

" 16. Battle at Deep Run, and extension of the 
Union - line towards Richmond. — Rebel repuls* 
at Dal ton, Georgia. 

" 18. Peace Convention assembled at Syracuse, 
N. Y. — Night attack on Birney s lines at Rich- 
mond. — Ream's Station, on the Weldon Rail- 
road, captured by Gen. Warren. 

" 19. Rebel attack upon Gen. Warren at Ream's 

" 21. Gen. Forrest made a dash into Memphis. — 
Rebels again attempt to dislodge Warren at 
Ream's Station. 

" 23. Fort Morgan in Mobile harbor surrendered. 

" 31. Wheeler's cavalry destroys the Great West- 
ern Railroad near Nashville. — Battle at Jones- 
boro, Georgia. 
Sept. 2. Atlanta evacuated by Gen. Hood and oc- 
cupied by Gen. Slocum. "The total Union loss 
in the movement from Chattanooga to Atlanta 
was 31,000, and the rebel loss 43,000. 

" 4. Gen. Sherman ordered the inhabitants to 
leave Atlanta. — Battle at Berryville, Va. — John 
H. Morgan killed at Greenville, Tenn. 

" 18. Early defeated by Sheridan at Opequan, 
Va. 

" 22. Battle of Fisher's Hill, Va. 

" 23. Athens. Alabama, captured by Gen. Forrest. 

" 26. Staunton, Va., captured by Gen. Torbert. 

" 29. Battle of Chapin's Farm, near Petersburg. 

" 30. Battle at Poplar Grove Church, near the 
Weldon Railroad. 
Oct. 2. Gen. Burbridge attacked the rebels at 
Saltville Va. 

" 4. Battle at Big Shanty, Georgia. 

" 7. Battle at Darbydown Road, Va.— Privateer 
Florida captured in Bahia harbor, Brazil. 

" 11. Adoption of the new Constitution of Mary- 
land. 

" 12. Chief-Justice Taney died at Baltimore. 
" 13 Dalton, Ga., surrendered to Gen. Hood. 
" 14. Poolesville, Md., sacked by rebels under 
Moseby. 

" 19. Raid upon the banks at St. Albans, Ver- 
mont, by armed rebels from Canada. — Battle at 
Lexington. Mo.— Gen. Sheridan defeated Early 
at Cedar Creek, Va. , and captured his artillery. 

" 25. Gen. Price defeated at Osage Crossing, on 
the Big Blue River, Missouri. 

" 27. Rebel ram Albemarle destroyed by Lieut. 
Cushing, U. S. N. 

" 29. Gen. Hood repulsed at Decatur, Alabama. 

" 31. Plymouth, N. C, captured. 
Nov. 8. Abraham Lincoln re-elected President of 
the United States. 

" 9. Rebels attacked Atlanta, Georgia. 

" 11. Breckinridge defeated atBull's Gap, Tenn. 

" 12. General Sherman started on his march 
through Georgia to the coast. 

" 13. Battle at Russellville, Tenn., and defeat of 
Gen. Gillem by Breckinridge. 

" 16. Atlanta evacuated, and public buildings 
destroyed. 

" 22. Battle at Griswoldsville, Ga. 

" 23. Milledgeville, Georgia, entered by Gen» 
Sherman. 

" 24. Battle at Columbia, Tenn., between Thomas 
and Hood. 

" 29. Battle at Spring Hill, Tenn., and retreat 

of Thomas to Franklin. 
" 30. Battle of Franklin, Tenn., followed by the 

retreat of Thomas to Nashville. 
Dec. 2. Sherman entered Milieu, Ga. 
" 5. Rebel attack upon Murfreesboro, Tenn. 
" 6. Battle at Gregory's Landing, oa the 

Charleston and Savannah Railroad. 



AMERICAN HISTORY. 



Dec. 7. 7. Battle of Wilkinson s Pike. Tenn. 

" 12. Gen. Sherman communicated with Grant 
for the first time since leaving Atlanta. 

" 13. St. Albaus raiders discharged by Judge 
CoursoL — Fort McAllister, below Savannah,! 
captured by assault. — Expedition left Fort- 
ress Monroe to capture Wilmington, X. C. 

" 15. Battle at Nashville, and total defeat of 
Geu. Hood's army by Geu. Thomas. 

" 20. Saltville, Va\, captured by Gens. Bur- 
bridge and Stoueman. 

" 21. Cavalry fight between Custer and Payne, 
at Newmarket. Va. — Savannah occupied by 
General Sherman. 

" 22. Cavalry fight at Liberty Mills. Ta. 

" 24 and 25." Fort Fisher, X,"C, bombarded. 

1865. 

Jan. 1. Completion of Butler's Dutch Gap Canal. 
" 11. Ordinance abolishing slavery passed by 

Missouri Convention. 
" 13. Second attack upon Fort Fisher. 
" 14. Poeotaligo Bridge, between Charleston and I 

Savannah, captured. 
" 15. Fort Fisher captured. 
" 17. Monitor Patapsco blown up in Charleston 

harbor. 

" 25. Rebel fleet attempted to escape from James 
Biver. 

Feb. 2. Peace conference held at Fortress Monroe 
between President Lincoln, and Stephens, : 
Hunter, and Campbell, the rebel commis- 
sioners. 

" 6. Battle at Hatcher's Bun. near Petersburg, i 
" 18. Charleston evacuated, and destruction of 
a portion of the town by fire. — Columbia, the 
capital of South Carolina, captured by Gen. 
Sherman. 

" 21. Rebel raid into Cumberland, Md., and 
capture of Generals Kelley and Crook. 

" 22. Wilmington, X. C, occupied by Gens. Terry 
and Scbofield. 

" 24. Gen. Sherman reached Camden. S. C. 
March 3. Cheraw, S. C, captured by Gen. Sher- ! ; 
man.— Sheridan defeated General Early at [ 
Waynesboro, Va. 

" 4. Charlotteesville, Ta.. captured. — Abraham 1 
Lincoln re-inaugurated President. 

" 11. Gen. Sherman reached Fayetteville, X. C. 

" 15. Battle at Averysboro. X. C. 

" 16. Second day of the battle of Averysboro, 
and total defeat of the rebels. 

" 19. Battle of Bentonsville, N. C. 

' 21. Gen. Schofield occupied Goldsboro. N. C, ! 
where he was soon after joined by Gen. Sher- 
man. 

' 23. Gen. Sheridan reached the Army of the Po- 
tomac, having started from Winchester on the 
2d inst. 

' 25. Rebel attack on Fort Steadman, near Pc- 
tersburg. — Battle of Hatcher's Run. Ta. — Gen. ! 
Steele defeated the rebels at Pollard, Ala, Jj 



Mar. 29. The Army of the Potomac commenced the 
fiual movement which ended in the capture of 
Petersburg and Richmond. 
" 30. General advance of the Union lines at 

Petersburg. 

" 31. Battle of Five Forks, in which Sheridan 
■was driven back. 
April 1. Continuation of the battle of Five Forks, 
and total defeat of the enemy by Gen. Short- 
dan. 

" 2. A general assault ordered upon the whole 
rebel line, by which the rebels are forced from 
their intrenchmeuts and compelled to evacuate 
Petersburg aud Richmond. 

" 3. Richmond and Petersburg occupied by the 
Union armv. 

" 6. Battle at Sailor's Creek, Va. 

" 7. Gen. Grant demanded the surrender of 
Lee's army, then at Amelia Court-House. 

" 9. Gen. Lee surrendered his army of 20,000 
men to Gen. Grant. — Gen. Shernian moved 
from Goldsboro against Johnston's army. 

" 11. Lynchburg. Va.. surrendered. 

" 12. Battle at Salisbury, N. C. — Montgomery, 
Alabama, surrendered. — War Department or- 
dered the suspension of the draft. 

" 13. Raleigh. X. C, surrendered. 

" 14. Mobile surrendered. — Abraham Lincoln, 
President of the United States, assassinated 
by John Wilkes Booth. — Attempt to assassi- 
nate the Secretary of State. 

" 15. Death of the President, at 7 22 a. m.— Oath 
of office administered to Andrew Johnson. 

" 18. Generals Sherman and Johnston agreed 
upon terms of surrender of the la tter, embra- 
cing a truce to extend forty- eight hours after 
notice of its termination' was given. These 
terms were promptly rejected, and Gen. Sher- 
man ordered to give immediate notice of the 
termination of the truce. 

" 19. Funeral services of the President at Wash- 
ington. 

" 21. Gen. Wilson captured Macon, Georgia. 

" 24. Geu. Grant reached Raleigh, with instruc- 
tions to Geu. Sherman to terminate the truce. 

" 26. J. Wilkes Booth shot by Sergeant Boston 
Corhett.— Gen. Johnston's army surrendered 
to Sherman on the terms granted to Gen. 
Lee. 

May 4. Remains of the President interred at 
Springfield, Illinois. 
" 6. Trial of the conspirators commenced at 

Washington. 
" 22. Blockade removed from all Southern ports 

except those of Texas. 
" 23 and 24. Armies of the United States re- 
viewed at Washington. 
" 29. Amnesty proclamation issued. 
June 2. Bebel armies in Texas surrendered to 

Geu. Cauby. 
July 7. Execution of four of the conspirators at 
' Washington. 

559 



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